Golden Woods: Immortal Princess (Chapter 4 has important updates)
by SummerTime17
Summary: Summary is being revised for the time being. Wanna see pictures of the characters and their creatures? Go to my Instagram- Lovetowrite16 - and check them out. Be sure to give me a follow too! Tell me you're from Fanfiction and I'll give you a follow back! Characters will be added every chapter where a new one is introduced. Yeah... there's more people we haven't met yet. XD
1. Number 4

(Editing. Chapter nine will be up soon.

THAT'S RIGHT! I GOT MY ACCOUNT TO WORK!)

Full Summary:

Cammie Morgan lived a seemingly normal life. It was the start of her junior year at Roseville High, she had a great group of friends, was mildly tormented by Zachary Goode, the most annoying boy known to man, and had one of the biggest crushes on Joshua Abrams- the school's star quarterback. But then it all changed.

It didn't take long for Cammie to realize that everything is not what it seems. Soon, she finds herself in the path of a very mysterious boy, Zachary is acting way out of character, and Josh is a suspect of quadruple homicide.

Will Zach be able to keep Cammie hidden form a world she thought only existed in books, or will a certain snake-eyed boy give her the answers that she never knew she wanted?

Twists, magic, stubbornness, and regret wasn't what Cammie thought her life would be like- Not to mention her Father happens to be the king of a magical land full of vampires, fairies, trolls, and even fire breathing dragons.

~She knew this wasn't high school anymore. What kind of place makes you want to run from what you fear, but also make you want to run to it with open arms?~

_Prologue_

Roseville was a quiet small town in the middle of Virginia. Everyone knew everyone. . . Or so they thought. Take Josh Abrams for example. Young, hot, Co-Captain of the football team, honor student, and Zachary Goode's best friend. Sounds like a nice guy, right? Or when you've got sweet little Cammie Morgan, apple of everyone's eye; even Zach and Josh couldn't deny the sixteen year old girls beauty. They way her hips swayed when she walked while her hair shown brightly even in the dull school lights. So innocent and naïve. Who knew there was so much strength and spirit in her small delicate body?

Everything is not what it seems but when you dig a little deeper, answers are sure to be found.

**Number 4 **

Cammie swiftly ran up to Roseville High, trying to avoid as much of the cold rain as possible. The pitter-patter of the precipitation sounded like billions of pebbles as the water hit the ground with harsh force. She could almost hear the small 'tings' they left every time they came into contact with the old golden, now spotted with black, ball that sat on top of the flagpole while other drops wove through the almost empty tree branches of the forest right across the road. Splashes of water hit her shoes every step she took while small bubbles of air formed under her foot, temporarily staying on the asphalt before popping. Her breath was scattered and short as her lungs begged for air. She made sure her baby pink hood was still secure on her head so no rain would get on her hair, fearing that if even a small drop of water would ruin the pin straight locks of dirty blonde, and ultimately, man kind. Who wouldn't, when your friend spent an hour on your hair and you wrecked it by getting rained on? Especially when your friend will most likely kill you if even one strand of hair was out of place.

Just as she reached the steps, her foot came in contact with a large puddle, drenching her light blue skinny jeans and white blouse. She groaned in annoyance and walked up the slipery steps, squeaking with a jolt when a loud clap of thunder rumbled over her. The force was strong enough to send her teeth chattering and her ears ringing.

"Cam, wait!" A British voice shouted from across the parking lot, her voice barely audible from the over powering noise of Mother Nature at work. Cammie turned around to wave at her friend, Rebecca, who was running to the school soaking wet. The girl's coca colored skin did well to blend in the dark light, though her bright pink jacket made her stand out against the sheet of rain making it easy to pinpoint exactly where she was.

Only a few meters away at the bottom of the cement staircase, Joshua Abrams and Zachary Goode stood with their football gear tossed over their shoulders, not caring about the rain pounding on their faces and drenching their bodies.

"It looks like practice will be canceled today." Josh said putting a foot on the wet stone step. Zach gave a small nodd in agreement before responding.

"Frankly, I'm kind of happy about that. He made us run twenty laps last time before actual practice started. My muscles are still sore." He grumbled, switching the strap of his gear bag from his right shoulder, to his left one. He threw a glare at the British girl that bumped into him as she ran up the stairs.

Both of their eyes flickered to the small blonde girl that just entered the safety of school with her obnoxious best friend. They watched her slowly take her hood off as if she didn't want to ruin what was perfect hair no matter what happened to it.

_So far, so good_. Zach thought just like every other day he spent at this school.

Once the boys entered central hall, they were immediately blasted with heat that traveled through the school's old vents, giving warmth to wherever it could. The rain from out side was only slightly muted, now sounding like loud maracas from above them as the water hit the roof. Trophies lined the dark blue and black walls, placed in glass cases as if they were a strong force to keep trouble makers away. To the right of them, a few feet away from the main office, a boy was being chided for running in the hall, while to the left, a group of girls talked about the latest episode of Pretty Little Liars as well as Taylor Swift being way too stuck-up for her own good. Josh noticed the way the lights flickered every so often, warning him that the power was threatening to go out giving the kids a day off school. Sounds of Hot Cross Buns played from the band room down the hall by little kids who apparently didn't know the difference between a natural and a flat making the simple song sound very out of tune.

Zach didn't know why the kids bothered to play instruments. It would never get them anywhere in life. At least he has a promising career as a football star considering he's the star quarterback and captain of the team. That is, if he wanted to be a football star. It wouldn't matter if he did or not, he had more important things to take care of other than passing a ball of what was originally pig skin back in the day.

The boys walked to the staircase at the end of the hall to get to their lockers on the second floor, their Nike sneakers squeaking on the glossy black tile with every step. The hallways were crowded with loud students that rushed to get to homeroom to finish incomplete assignments or to get to the janitors closet to get a quick seven minutes of heaven before announcements started. Annoying freshman girls tried flirting with the two boys, while the guys told over dramatic stories to make their self sound cooler than they actually were. Josh and Zach rolled their eyes, trying so hard not to tell the irritating kids to leave them alone. Being a popular senior, it's hard to avoid them. . . or anyone for that matter. Except for one girl. One girl was always able to sneak out from their sights, and that aggravated them both.

XXX

"Cammie!" Rebecca whined with a stomp as if she was a child being told it was time for bed. The two girls stood at their lockers, grabbing what they needed for class as other peers mingled around in attempt to kill time before first period started, "You can't avoid her forever!

She was talking about their friend, Elizabeth Sutton. Cammie was told by Macey that Elizabeth wanted to do a project, of what Macey did not know, and needed Cammie to help. And last time she helped Liz with a project. . . well, let's just say Cammie had no eyebrows for three weeks. So now, it's Rebecca's job to convince Cammie that helping little ole Liz is the right thing to do. Secretly, she just likes to watch her friend suffer as a lab rat.

"Bex!" Cammie snapped and slammed her locker. "I swear if she tries to create another perfume that is hoped to attract every bird species known to man, I'm hiring a person to. . . I don't know, take her smartness away!" Yes, it wasn't the greatest threat she could come up with, but at the moment she didn't care. She did not want to be eyebrow-less again.

"Whatever." Rebecca hid her disappointment and paused for a moment, biting her lip and smiling. "Sooooo," She held out the 'o' in a mocking tone. "anyone you have in mind for homecoming? It's next week you know, and I know at least fifteen guys asked you out." She suddenly began to scowl at Cammie as they walked to their first period class, dodging teachers and students as they walked. Cammie denied each guy for no reason at all and Rebecca was afraid her friend was going to end up a lonely cat lady if she kept denying hot guys a date.

Rebecca Baxter has been Cammie's best friend since fourth grade when Cammie was being bullied by Zachary Goode. She came up and shoved him away, threatening to give him cooties. Ever since then, the two have been best friends- both sharing the same hatred for Zach. Until last year.

Macey Samuels was another close friend of Cammie's. They didn't meet until the end of ninth grade, when Macey was kicked out of her private school in Washington. Popularity was something Macey didn't think about. She liked to have a small group of real friends that loved her for her, not for her looks and social status. Cammie was the applicant.

In their sophomore year, Macey dragged her new friend to the annual homecoming football game. Her eyes never left player 1. Zach flew across the field making perfect passes and catches and even scoring a few touchdowns. But that's not what changed her opinion in him after so many years. It was the look in his eyes when he stared at her. The way they widened in surprise but then eased into a look of contempt. As if he had finally gotten what he wanted. . . And a feeling in her gut, was that he wanted her to notice him. Although she could be wrong because after that, they've never glanced at each other again. Well, they have, but the looks were far from pleasant.

So it's not like she had a crush on him. She just didn't hate him anymore. No. The one boy she did have a crush on, was Josh Abrams. She couldn't deny the attraction she felt for the popular senior. The way he was always helping her on homework and even carrying her books if they were headed to the same class. Cammie was a sucker for sweet guys. And Josh was defiantly a sweet guy- not to mention very good looking.

"Cam?" Rebecca asked, waving a hand in front of her face. Cammie jumped as she was brought out of her thoughts.

"Yeah. What?" Cammie asked as the entered their first period room, US History with , and sat down.

"Why won't you just let me _talk_ to him?" Rebecca groaned, putting her chin in her left hand once they sat down in the all to familiar metal chairs.

"What do you mean?" Cammie knew exactly what she since Rebecca found out about Cammie's secret crush, Rebecca has been begging her friend to let her give hints to Josh that he has a secret admirer.

"You know what I mean Cammie." She just shook her head and huffed, sinking down in her chair in attempt to get away from the conversation.

"I really don't feel like being laughed at by him or his friends. I'm a nobody, Rebecca , and Josh is. . . well, Josh." Cammie's dear friend tried so hard not to roll her eyes. How can this girl be so oblivious? Josh carries her books to almost every class and always makes reasons to talk to her. He likes Cammie, probably even more than she likes him.

"I didn't hear a no." Rebecca said with a sly smile. Before Cammie could even get a breath in to tell Rebecca no, the announcements came on. As she stood, Cammie glared at a smug looking Rebecca and said the pledge.

XXX

Zach laughed quietly when the spit ball landed in the girl's hair. If Josh was in this class, they'd be fooling around and doing stupid stuff. But since he's not, Zach had to find his own entertainment, and spitting paper into his favorite blonde's hair was one of his favorite things to do.

She turned around in her cheep metal chair with a fierce glare.

"Knock it off, Goode and stop being an immature pain." She growled. Her eyes showed annoyance and displeasure, not at all enjoying Zach's form of entertainment. After years of his torment, she got over being upset and just became annoyed and irritated with his teasing.

"Cameron Morgan, this is study hall, not social hour." Mrs. Lance, the ninth grade History teacher, scolded. Cammie's eyes were wide and her mouth was open in shock. She turned around and went back to the book she was previously reading before being so rudely interrupted. Okay, so maybe Cammie still hated Zach. How could she not? The boy still acts like an immature third grader! Always putting stuff in her hair and making her uncomfortable, just like the earth worms he threw at her back when he was in fifth grade and she was in fourth.

Zach smirked at the back of her head and wadded up another small piece of paper. It was in their English class in eighth grade where he learned how to make a simple pen and spit-ball blow dart. Reading books such as _The Child Called 'It'_ wasn't exactly his idea of fun.

There was a small whack as another tiny wet ball hit her ear. Cammie silently set her book down before whipping around to glare at the boy.

"I swear if you don't stop I'm going to smack you." She whispered. Zach's green eyes lit up in amusement as he leaned forward so that there was only about a foot of space between their faces. His black earbuds dangled off his neck as he pulled his hoodie sleeves up to his elbows. Taking his right index finger, he pointed to his left cheek.

"Lay one on me." He loved this. All the attention from her. Zach couldn't deny his attraction he had for her. The way her blue eyes pierced his green ones like they did the night of his junior year's homecoming game. It was like everything was right in the world, as cheesy as it sounds. There were no complications, no fear, and no worry. Just him and her- the way he wished it would be in real life. But it's not. In real life, there could be so many things that go wrong. His life was complicated enough as it was, and it _wasn't_ because football scouts were surrounding him like animals.

"Do you want me to give you detention?" The teacher asked again, an evil look set on her old wrinkly face. Cammie huffed and turned around, trying to pick out all the little wads of paper out of her hair.

Zach debated on offering to help. Anything to be able to touch her hair. Her loose blonde curls bounced even when she would give a slight nod of the head. It was so strikingly soft looking. Mesmerizing.

The bell rang, signaling the end of fifth period. Zach broke form his thoughts and immediately stood up, the term 'saved by the bell' making an appearance in his mind as he was already beginning to reach his hand out.

XXX

The hallways seemed to be more quiet than they were this morning. Instead of loud laughter and pathetic fights, whispers formed from the mouths of students, talk of worry and confusion embedded into the conversations at hand as Zach walked to the lunchroom. It was almost as if the walls held secrets. Secrets nobody but he and Josh knew, and perhaps a few more.

"I know. My mom called and said she was going to pick me up from school. I can't believe the cops haven't found who's been doing this." I girl mumble nervously to her friend.

Zach's jaw clenched along with his fists.

_How long will this be going on for?_

Ever since one month ago, the begging of school, there have been three cases of homicides. Three murders and no one knows who it was or what their motive is. The victims were either high school Juniors or Seniors, all three were boys. Now four?

_Is this person a dude to?_

He didn't like the way the teachers were being quiet about it. There weren't even any 'moments of silence' in the morning to respect the lives that were lost. They say they don't want to stress out the students, but what does it matter? They're already fearing for their lives.

"Who did she say it was?" The friend asked. Zach slowed his pace, hoping to catch a small portion of their conversation without seeming like an eavesdropper.

"Some boy named Jake Houston." At this, Zach felt like he was going to throw up. Jake was a good friend of his. He was planning on asking Cammie to homecoming. Out of all 683 seniors, it had to be Jake? If anyone deserved Cammie it was Roseville High's best linebacker and kicker. All he did was talk about her during practice. You could see how much he adored the girl. Josh would always get mad about that. He'd either storm away or pick fights with the kicker.

"How'd he die?" The friend asked.

"Well, my mom said it was nearly the same as the other two. His throat was slit this time though but the same marking was there with the number four cut on his chest."

Four. Because he was the fourth victim. And the marking? It was a circle cut on the victims chest with an 'C' in the middle and a slash cut through it.

_How many people is this sicko going to kill? _

Then he though about Cammie. She was practically live bait for whoever this was. So innocent and naïve. Avoiding the cases and not making it a habit to know the evidence wasn't the right action to take. He had been taught better. To do his job, he must take action, and that is exactly what he was going to do.

XXX

Josh was sitting at a lunch table when Zach sat down.

"There's been another murder." Was the first thing that came out of Zach's mouth. His voice was so low it was almost captured by the loud conversations of the cafeteria.

"I know. Jake was a great kicker too." Josh said, not looking a bit sorry. Zach didn't notice though, too caught up in thought.

_What happens if this killer came after him? Why is the killer only going after guys? What does he want?_

Zach wrapped his brain around everything he could. The similarities the boys had. The grade they were in and what clubs they were involved in. Even their daily activities. It was a plus that Zach new these kids. There are thousands of students in this school and it would be impossible to know who's who unless you were aquatinted with them some how.

"Who do you think could have done this?" Zach asked, mostly to himself.

"How would I know? I'm as lost as you are." Josh took a bite from his pizza and leaned back in his chair. Suddenly, his eyes flashed and he stood up. "I'll be right back."

Zach fallowed Josh's gaze to where Cammie was standing in line. Josh walked up right behind her and put his arm across her shoulders. Cammie jumped, looking at her intruder but then her eyes softened and she smiled.

He looked away, a pang of jealousy running through him.

_Tough_. He thought bitterly to himself. _I don't care about the stupid rules. I can't take it anymore. He can't have her._

XXX

Cammie couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right in this school. There wasn't something right about her _town_. And she knows it has to do with the murders that have been happening recently.

_Stupid investigators. There are four murders and you don't have any other clue other than the stupid markings?_

All day Cammie has been watching everyone closely. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for one thing.

"Hey Cam." An arm was on her shoulders making her jump. She turned her head to see Josh standing right beside her, his arm draped across her shoulders. He was smiling a true happy smile, unlike the rest of the students. Even the teachers couldn't think straight today.

"Hey, you seem happy." Cammie said, not in an accusing tone, but not in a normal tone either. Skeptical.

"Why wouldn't I be? I've got a beautiful girl right next to me and a nice sunny day- well, not sunny, but still nice." They chuckled and stepped forward in the line. Cammie suddenly felt uncomfortable.

_Why is he so happy today? One of his teammates just got killed!_

It's one of Cammie's many talents. Every little detail was laid out in front of her. And if you acted out of character, she would notice. And right now, Josh was almost too happy for someone who's friend was just pronounced dead.

"So I was wondering. Would y-"

"Cammie! There you are!" Elizabeth ran up to her friend and took her hand. Cammie's eyes grew wide. She's been caught! "I've gotta show you something! Come on!" For a short girl, Elizabeth sure runs fast. She dragged Cammie out the doors and to the computer lab where a very eager Rebecca and Macey wait.

"What is it Elizabeth?" Cammie asked, a little afraid. "You know, I don't really think I want to help you with a project. I'm not feeling up to it today and-"

"Shush it and just watch the news! They found a new clue on the bodies!" Elizabeth has always liked forensics and anything that involved science and criminal justice. This would had so many different explanations for things and she loved it. Since the first murder, she has been obsessed with the case. Constantly keeping tabs on it in every way possible.

Cammie's eyes widened and she ran to the computer. Sitting down in the plush teacher chair, she pressed play and immediately, a video on the local new website began playing.

"Here at the Roseville Investigation Plant, Doctor Reynolds and Detective Jarred Cooper have found a new discovery on victim Jake Houston's body earlier today." A reporter said. Even from the screen you could tell the woman was shaking with nerves. Not only were they in a room by the forensics lab, but the window behind her was large and perfectly see through. Though the body was covered with a plastic white sheet, Cammie knew that it was Jake who lay lifeless under it. "Here is Doctor Reynolds with the latest news." She handed the microphone over to the doctor, passing the detective who had a with a scruffy blonde beard that almost looked fake and eyes that were too blue. The Doctor was tall and slightly thin with a long whit lab coat, and when he spoke, his voice was ruff and tired, as if he had been up for days.

"Earlier today, Detective Rogers and I were running tests on victim, Jake Houston and found something rather striking." pictures were shown on the screen as he spoke. Cammie's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped, no longer listening to what the Doctor had to say. On the back of his ear was a simple math equation carved out with a small knife.

_10-4=6_

So simple a five year old could figure it out. It may have not seemed like much to someone who didn't know the full story, but to everyone in Roseville, they knew four kids were dead. Soon, everyone is going to know that six more are on the list.

As her shock dwindled, the voices on the screen started making a re-appearance in her ears.

"Later on, we were able to discover the type of knife used to make the stabbings and cuts along with the markings on the victims' chests." The detective was speaking now. He looked tired as well, and though he was cleanly shaved and showered, he looked as though a warm bath would do him justice. He had green eyes that held something she couldn't quite place, and she didn't know whether she liked it or not.

"Though we cannot release any other information on the matter, it is now clear we have a serial killer on our hands. If anyone is to come in contact with someone who seems out of sorts and off coarse of usual daily habits, please contact the Roseville Police Department immediately. As of today, everyone is a suspect and everyone is a victim. Thank you." He gave the microphone back to the reporter and left.

_I liked it better when I thought serial killers were people who stabbed cereal boxes that had Captain Crunch and Lucky on it._

• • • • • •

**A/N- Hey guys! **  
If things don't make sense, they will soon. I really hope you liked this first chapter. Thins should pick up soon. Remember to review or PM me your thoughts! Thanks for being awesome!


	2. October

**October**

October was Cammie's favorite month. She never knew why. Ever since she was little her eyes always shown with wonder and amazement as she looked at the changing color of the leaves. The gold, yellow, red, and even the brown colors of fall were beautiful to her. The way the autumn sun would always shine off the painted leaves in the woods, on the grass, and on the trees around her home shimmered with a 'hey look at me' kind of glow and that entranced her. Now, as she looked at the woods across from her, she realized the powerful colors and tall trees showed power and pried, but also longing.

_Longing for what?_ Cammie wondered, sitting with her right leg under her butt on a bench-swing that was set on the front porch. Every so often she would sway slightly with the breeze as her eyes over looked the woods sitting across the street, enjoying how the leaves danced in the air while the wind blew music through the trees.

Her hair was pulled into a loose and messy bun on the back of her head, stray strands of hair swayed as she read Romeo and Juliet, a play she was forced to read for her English class even though they already read it in ninth grade.

_It's good for you young kids to read a tragedy that can so easily relate to you_. She mocked her English teacher in her head.  
_Sure, because teenagers totally fall in love with a boy or girl they just met, goes behind their parents back so they can be together, and kill their self if their significant other dies. . . . Okay, so maybe we _can_ relate to it._

Romeo had just found out the identity of Juliet when her phone started to buzz. She picked up her phone and smiled at the Caller ID picture of Liz and herself making a funny face with their safety goggles on before answering.

"Hey Liz, what's up?" Cammie's tone was light and soft as she got up to go in the house.

"It's been four days, Cammie." Elizabeth's voice came through the phone without so much as a hello, "The detectives haven't found anything and that stupid doctor guy won't open his mouth about the victims any more. You're coming with me to investigate." Cammie made it to her kitchen to get a drink when she stopped, noting the aggravation in her friends voice. Elizabeth constantly had her mind on things, but when she got aggravated about something, it was only motivation for her to keep going. Fear was getting ready to take over Cammie at just the thought of the four homicides.

"No, Liz. " Cammie scolded once she came out of shock. Her feet finally began functioning again, dragging her to a cabinet where the classes stood, " We can't do that! It's none of our business! Let the detectives handle the cases. We're only high schoolers. What could we possibly do to help? We might be the murderer's next victim if we tamper with the crime scene! He could be lurking anywhere! What if-" Cammie's voice cut off and she looked to her cup in aggravation and worry as Elizabeth spoke.

"How do _you_ know it's a he? Do you know something I don't know?" Cammie rolled her eyes.

"No, I just assumed- I mean, usually- ugh, just- just stop accusing me of stuff, Liz. I don't know any more than you do. Probably less." Cammie ripped open the fridge, wishing her friend would drop the murder subject, and poured a glass of apple cider.

"That's _exactly_ why we should go to the scenes! I could _totally_ find some clue the detectives missed! I need you to help me! Please Cammie? Please please please _pleeeaaasse_?" Elizabeth could feel herself getting under her friend's skin. Cammie would do anything for anyone, and the girl on the other end of the line knew that. That's why it was always so hard to be mad at Cammie. She ways does so much for everyone.

"Fine!" Cammie groaned. The girl on the other end squealed, the sounds of squeaking springs on the other end told Cammie her friend was jumping up and down on her bed.

"Awesome! After the homecoming dance Saturday, we'll leave for the woods on Linn Street. Make sure to bring black clothing! Thank you so so much!" Elizabeth hung up, Cammie leaned her head on the fridge door, shaking, not from the sudden coldness of the door, but because she was nervous of what was to come Saturday.

_Three days away_.

XXX

The next day, Cammie was looking forward to school. She has been ever since Josh came up to her in the lunch line last week and since then, they have been talking more and more. Sure, he was acting strangely for a boy whose friend was murdered, but perhaps that was his way of coping. Macey and Rebecca even said he was dropping hints about homecoming.

_"He really asked you?! O. M. G! Cammie, this is great news!" _Rebecca was jumping like a mad man as she, Macey, and Cammie walked to their last period. Cammie rolled her eyes and pulled down her blue tank-top that had slightly ridden up over her hip.

_"Rebecca, he just asked me if I was planning on going." _Apparently, this was a bigger deal than she thought, seeing as Macey stopped dead in her tracks.

_"Are you kidding?! It's basically guy code as to see if your planning on going! Like, _going _going- you know, with a guy. Or, if your just going with friends. If you had a date," _She gave Cammie an accusing look_, "you would have told him so. But you don't, and you probably didn't even tell him you were going with us, did you? You just shrugged your shoulders and said 'probably', didn't you?"_

Now, Cammie stood in front of her closet deciding on what to wear, because apparently, _she_ was going to bring up the topic of homecoming with Josh and make it clear she doesn't have a date.

_Like he'd even care. Macey and Rebecca are over reacting. He's just being friendly is all._  
Although, Cammie was hoping that those random smiles, accidental hand brushes, and random conversations meant something and that she wasn't just reading into something that wasn't there.

"Okay Cammie. Stop freaking out, it's just a boy." She ripped a gray cotton sweater from her hanger and a pair of dark blue skinny jeans from her dresser drawer. After her shower, Cammie got dressed making sure to grab her solid gold necklace her father had given to her when she was a baby. The gold was wound into a thin delegate chain. Resting on it, was a was a small tree, winding on one side to be half a heart. It was an odd design, but she never questioned it. It was the last thing he had ever given anyone before he disappeared.

"Cammie! Get down stairs before I have to come up there and get you." Cammie's mother, Sarah, shouted.

Sarah and Cammie looked nothing alike, telling Cammie that she had inherited her looks from her father. While Cammie had thin blonde hair, Sarah had thick black hair. Cammie's eyes were a soft blue, Sarah's were a dark brown. Cammie didn't even have the same shape of nose as her mother. But this never fazed her.

"Yeah yeah." She mumbled taking lazy steps down the stairs, french braiding her hair in the process.

Entering the kitchen, Cammie found her mother sitting at the island with a strained look on her face.

"Mom, is everything alright?" Cammie's Mother is rarely stressed. She is always bubbly and happy, so when her mother sat at the island with her head in her hands and dark circles under her eyes, Cammie became a little more than concerned.

Sarah looked up from the single sheet of paper, looking startled before strained smile came to her lips. She stood up and folded the piece of paper, careful not to make any unnecessary creases, before placing it back in an envelope.

"I'm fine honey, just a little tired is all." Cammie gave her Mother one last look before grabbing her backpack and gold colored flats.

"Okay then, what ever you say." She gave her mom a tight hug and kiss on the cheek before walking to the door.

"Come straight home today, okay?" Cammie nodded, taking notice of the worry in her mothers voice.

The door closed with a silent thud as Cammie left her house. The sun was out and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. All the puddles from the week before were almost gone, the bigger ones not all the way evaporated yet.

As she walked soundlessly to school, she couldn't help but look at the woods that a ditch separated her from. How desperately she wanted to go in there, if not for a few moments. She wanted to feel the tree trunks ruff wood under her hand and listen to the nature abound her. It was so tempting to skip school and run off to explore, but she knew better.

The walk to school helped calm Cammie's nerves. Josh was the most popular guy in school, why would he even take interest in even _looking_ at Cammie Morgan, the nobody? Could he possibly _want_ to go to Homecoming with her?

Cammie shook her head and took out her phone, choosing a playlist she wanted to listen to on Pandora.

As she flipped through songs she didn't like and read descriptions of different artists, she failed notice the figure coming towards her.

"Oof." Her bag fell from her shoulder and her phone crashed on the ground. She would have joined the objects if it wasn't for the strong arms catching her.

"Sorry, Cammie. I wasn't watching where I was going." a deep voice drawled to which Cammie's heart rate sped up. When she looked up, her mouth became dry and her eyes slightly widened in shock.

Zachary Goode stood in front of her, his arms wrapped around her waist to hold her close to him- close enough for his face inches from hers. Still in shock, Cammie looked up at his green eyes that shown brightly as the sun caught them at just the right angle. It would almost be cliché yet romantic. . . If Cammie didn't already have eyes for someone else, so right now, it was just awkward.

"Oh- er- that's okay." Cammie tried to wiggle out of Zach's grip but her strength was no match for Zach's. She looked up at him with a confused and slightly worried look. Zach chuckled and leaned in, purposefully pressing his lips to her ear.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Princess." He whispered in her ear. His lips lingered a second longer before he pulled back and walked away. Cammie stood still, shocked and slightly breathless before snapping out of her daze and picking up her belongings. She sighed in relief when she saw her phone screen had not cracked and walked the rest of the way to school, looking back every so often, feeling as if someone was following her.

When Cammie finally reached the school, she had to shield her eyes from the light of the sun that was being reflected off the flagpole. The parking lot was full of the same cars and the same students hung outside before the start of school, yet something seemed off. It wasn't because of the flowers in the front garden showing signs of dying, or that Cammie's friends stood by the main entrance with eager looks on their face. Something just seemed out of place, but Cammie couldn't put her finger on it.

Rebecca spotted Cammie and waved her over. She had decided to wear her _favorite_ pair of skinny jeans and her _favorite_ leather jacket along with her _favorite_ pair of black boots and the only way she thinks she can pull of that 'amazing' outfit, is with 50 thin aluminum bracelets.

Cammie rolled her eyes and smiled, hearing the jingling of Rebecca's wrist from the other end of the parking lot. Macey turned around, her heals clicking with every small step. Today, Macey wore a simple white blouse that read 'Kiss My Ass' on the front along with an almost too short black skirt that flowed out towards the bottom. Her nose ring was a big diamond stud practically yelling 'hey people, look at me!'.

Elizabeth was no where to be found. Cammie assumed she was in the science lab with her 'friend' Jonas doing who knows what with some type of chemical or cell.

"Hey guys." Cammie said walking up the stairs to meet her friends. "Where's Liz?"

"That's what we need to talk to you about." Rebecca said, her ever so present British accent strong as if she had moved to Virginia yesterday rather than ten years ago. "Well, that's not really what we need to talk to you about. She's just the one who found out that _he_ was at the crime scene last night and is freaking out."

Rebecca spat out 'he' as if the word were a piece of dog poop on her shoe.

"Who's 'he'?" Cammie asked. Macey and Rebecca exchanged a glance.

"Josh." They said together. Cammie's blood ran cold as Macey fiddled with the strap of her Coach purse while Rebecca pretended to text a friend as a moment of shocked silence filled the group.

"What happened to Josh?" Cammie was worried. She was afraid the killer had struck again and Josh had sadly become an innocent victim. But then she remembered the way Rebecca spoke about him, and realized death was not the case.

"Nothing happened _to_ him, but everything happened _because_ of him." Macey spat. Rebecca lightly hit her on the shoulder.

Cammie was astonished at the change of attitude the girls had towards Josh. One day, their begging Cammie to reveal her feelings about him _to_ him, and the next, they act as if he were a killer or something.

_Well, according to the girls, he _might_ be. Which is totally bull. _

"We don't know that for sure, Mace." Rebecca mumbled, interrupting Cammie's thoughts.

The sun rose higher and more leaves fell from nearby trees. Wind was blowing towards the woods and Cammie who once again, had a strange urge to fallow it.

"What are you guys talking about?" Cammie asked. The bell rang signaling ten minutes before class started. The girls walked together to their lockers, hearing the little band kids play what they thought was Mary Had A Little Lamb but sounded more like a dying animal- perhaps Mary's lamb.

"A detective found Joshua at the crime scene yesterday. He was looking over every area of the scene, for what, they don't know." Rebecca explained. "Cammie," Rebecca turned towards her best friend, "Josh is a suspect of a quadruple homicide."

Cammie's breath hitched.

_No, it's not true. Josh would never do something like that._

As she thought about it, Cammie's mind went back to last Monday.

_Hey Cammie." And arm was on her shoulders making her jump. She turned her head to see Josh standing right beside her, his arm draped across her shoulders. He was smiling a true happy smile, unlike the rest of the students. Even the teachers couldn't think straight today._

_"Hey, you seem happy." Cammie said._

_"Why wouldn't I be? I've got a beautiful girl right next to me and a nice sunny day- well, minus the sun." He chuckled and stepped forward in the line. Cammie suddenly felt uncomfortable._

Cammie shivered, wondering if Josh really _was_ the killer. It would explain why he didn't seem to be affected by the killings.  
_No. He would never do something like that._

_But maybe that's just it. He knows she won't suspect anything and is trying to seduce her only to kill her. Maybe that's why her mother and Zach warned her to go straight home. They know something she doesn't. _

_XXX_

Cammie never liked study hall. It might have been because of her teacher, or, it could have been because she had to deal with Zachary Goode.

Like, right now.

Cammie was watching the deer by the woods at the back of the school. A doe had decided to look up, staring right at her. Their eyes locked and Cammie almost felt a connection to the animal, pulling her to it and igniting her want to go to the woods even more. That connection was soon lost when she felt a tug at her hair.

Snapping her head back, she glared at Zach, who was smirking, and moved to a different seat so that she was diagonal from him. Hopefully Zach would take the hint and would stop bothering her. Instead, the irritating boy decided to move next to Cammie and sat a little too close for comfort. Cammie tried to move further away but he stopped her by grabbing on to her wrist. For the second time that day, Zach pressed his lips to her ear, secretly smelling her beautiful vanilla sent.

"Meet me in the hall." He whispered. Despite her mind telling her not to, Cammie shivered at the small gesture.

Zach knew there was something bigger than a simple homicide. Instead of ignoring the cases, he decided to get involved. Alone, he went to Jake's murder scene the night before and found all the evidence he needed pointing towards the killer. Evidence easily missed by any human eye. Evidence that lead to the Circle of Cavan. No, it's not a terrorist group. Not for this world anyway.

So of course the evidence would be easily missed. No one was looking for a clue that would lead to some immortal being or group. They were looking for human killer. He knew that. _They_ knew that.

And he also knew why they were going after all these innocent people.

_They found Cammie. _He could tell as he looked at the C in the circle, the way it just sat there on the chest in the photos, laughing at him for not figuring it out sooner. The scene it's self showed signs of immortals being there. But he was too late. They knew where Cammie was and they know what she looks like.

Zach stood up and asked to use the bathroom knowing Cammie would fallow so she could yell at him.

Once in the hallway, he made it as far as the water fountain before he heard the door click open and slam shut. Her angry footsteps echoed through the empty hall as she made her way over to him.

Cammie grabbed his arm making Zach stop in mid step and turn to look at her.

"What do you want, Goode?" She spat. Zach smirked and slid his arm from her hand. Before she could drop her own hand, he grabbed it and pulled Cammie into a near by janitor closet. Darkness consumed them, a rush of cold air that came form a near by vent blew across Cammie's skin forming goosebumps that pepper her arms.

Bad thoughts started flowing through Cammie's mind. Rape, torture, _murder_. What was he going to do to her? Why did he choose her as a victim? What did she do to deserve this?

"Calm down Goldie, I'm not going to hurt you. Stop assuming I'm always out to get you." Hearing this, she calmed, but still had a wary feeling of being in his presence. Even in the dark, Cammie could tell he was smirking. The smugness in his voice gave it away.

"Although," he leaned in, "I could make you scream if you'd like." Cammie gasped at the crude comment and pushed him back. Zach's chuckle turned into a grunt and a thump sounded, signaling that Zach bumped into a shelf, along with the thuds of brooms and flashlights that came in contact with the hard floor.

She went to open the door only to fined it locked.

"Unlock the door and let me leave if you have nothing useful to say." She spat through gritted teeth.

Cammie wasn't mad at the fact that Zach locked her in the closet when she could be reading in study hall. No, she hated the teacher that sat in the room and was happy to be away from the old bat. It was more because, when Zach touched her, she felt twice as much electricity than when Josh touched her. How, when he spoke in her ear, she felt comfortable and happy. And she didn't like that one bit.

"Wait." Cammie did as told, tapping her foot with obvious impatience as she waited to hear what pointless swords Zach had to say.

"Go straight home today, Cammie. Don't talk to anyone, and what ever you do, stay away from the woods." Zach's voice was dark and low making her frightened. The feeling was soon pulled away, replaced with anger.

"You're not my mother, Zach, so don't tell me what to do. Why would you care what I do anyway? You have done nothing but bother me since we were little." Cammie was glaring at the door as she spoke. "Unlock the door so I can leave."

"What ever you say Goldie."

XXX

"He's probably still in questioning. He _is_ a homicide suspect after all." Elizabeth explained after school that day after Cammie asked about Josh. Cammie was pulling heavy textbooks out from her small rusty dark blue locker while Elizabeth patiently waited next to her.

"But you don't think they would have let him out by now? Josh didn't do anything. He probably was just curious about the case as much as you are." Elizabeth thought about this.

"But why should he care? His life revolves around football, not Criminal justice." The two friends walked down the hall together. Murals covered the walls, paintings of the school, a football, even dates from the first ten years this school stood surrounded by swirls were laid out above the tile.

"Whatever, I don't know. Mom wants me home so I'll see ya tomorrow." The girls parted ways once they left the school property. Cammie took out her phone to listen to music and just as she was about to turn right down the road, she stopped. To the left, trees stood tall and radiant just across a ditch, leaves breaking off of the branches and landing on the ground. The trees were beckoning for Cammie to go to them, the breeze practically pushing her to them.

Thinking about what Zach said, she decided to walk through the woods, even though Zach would never know, it still made Cammie happy to disobey him.

_There's nothing wrong with the long way home._

* * *

**A/N: Yes, no, maybe so? I hope this was okay! Thank you to all who favorite, comment, and read this story! It means a lot!  
Suggestions, ideas, constructive criticism, and whatever else are welcomed!  
Sorry for any spelling, grammar, and typo errors I missed while editing!**


	3. Blind By Fear (Nature's Song)

**UPDATE: 12/2/15 _(A/N: There are some new additions , especially the CammieXDillon ,scenes in here. You might want to re-read at least the parts with those two in them because the lines will be important later on.) _**

_**XXX**_

**Blind By Fear (Nature's Song)**

Cammie only had to walk a few minutes before she reached a large opening. Looking around her, the girl's mouth dropped and eyes grew wide. The trees had only a few leaves left on their branches. Dead ones lay on the ground piled on each other until not one blade of grass was showing. A few tree stumps were scattered around and a large branch had fallen, creating a type of bridge on the ground from one tree to another. She pictured a small child playing on it, a girl with her father and brother. A two year old, one with fine gold hair and a happy smile. But as soon as that image came in her head, it disappeared like a ghost. Around her, in this little clearing, squirrels and birds went around gathering nuts, seeds, and berries, storing their food before winter came. The sun shown down through the trees, the branches separating the golden rays so they spotlighted rocks, mushrooms, and even ant hills. In a word, it was magical.

Lost in wonder, Cammie wandered through the woods, taking small stops to bask in the beauty of the nature around her. Birds sang their own song, communicating in a language only they could understand, and flew to different tree branches over head. Chipmunks scurried along the ground looking for the best nuts they could find, getting into fights every so often, their little squeaks not disturbing nature's song, but adding harmony.

The breeze blowing through the leaves and branches acted as the string in a orchestra, acorns thudded the ground- percussion, and animals scurrying up and down trees, in and out of holes, acted as woodwind. The brass, however, made no noise, but rather played an act in scenery. It's gold color shown from the sun, leaves, flowers, and even made the bark of the trees more radiant.

Trails became different lengths, breaking off into two or more different branches of walk-way. Cammie's mind went back to her childhood years. To a show she always watched.

Dora had always made sure to choose the right paths. She would listen for the dangers: snakes, crabs, bees. But Dora didn't know how to live. She didn't have a sense of adventure. That's what Cammie wanted. All her life she has been kept safe. Her mom moved them to a safe home, in a safe town, with a safe school. For once, just once, Cammie wanted to know what it felt like to _live_. _Really_ live. An adventure always had obstacles didn't it? You can't have easy and adventure in the same equation, it just wouldn't add up.

So when Cammie came to three paths, one perpendicular to the right of her, the other diagonal from her right eye, and the other on her left, she had to decide which one she was going to take. It wasn't the one to the right which that had the most sun light. Nor was it the one diagonal to her right eye that had less trees and soft ground. No. It was the one directly to her left. Pine trees stood tall and proud, almost cocky. It was dark, like twilight just ended and animals were ready to come out to hunt. Roots of the trees were growing up from the ground in twisted and knotted forms creating a jumbled mess through the whole trail. It practically yelled 'stay away!' but Cammie ignored its warning.

"Out of all the bad things in the world and you tell me to stay away from _here_?" She asked to no one but the air and the animals around her. Her feet stumbled along the bumpy path making her steps clumsy. She was entranced by the way the knots were so delicately placed; winding along the path twisting and turning making messy patterns. Vines wrapped around trees making homes for ladybugs and spiders, even small birds.

Cammies steps were sloppy, the bumps and random holes were almost impossible to walk on. After a while of walking, her foot got caught on a small arc a root made and she began to fall towards the hard roots. She braced her self for a very hurtful impact, but none came. Instead, warm arms wrapped around her waist pulling her to her feet. She swallowed a scream, hoping this wasn't the serial killer ready to strike again and briefly scolded herself for being so stupid to go in the woods alone when there was still a murderer on the loose. She sucked in a breath and slowly turned around to see the intruder but once she made a full one-eighty, there was no-one to be seen.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You're a bad girl, Honey." A voice scolded with humor. "Weren't ya told ta go strait home and ta _not_ go in the woods." Cammie screamed and turned as the voice spoke, her fist coming into perfect contact with the intruders jaw. The man staggered back, barely able to finish his sentence. He rubbed his jaw and looked at Cammie with an amused expression.

Her eyes widened as she looked into his. They weren't normal eyes. His iris's were oval shaped instead of round, pointed at each end, and the color was a bright summer green. They almost looked like _reptile _eyes.

"Ya have quite the arm there, Honey. Where'd ya learn ta hit like that?" Cammie only stepped back, refusing to answer his question as he continued to rub his jaw, his eyes showing he wasn't expecting an answer.

"Who the heck are _you_?" Cammie payed no attention to the fact that the strange boy knew where she was supposed to be and where she was not supposed to be. The boy, no more than eighteen, stepped forward and stuck his handout.

"Dillon Lewis at your service." he winked with a grin that was almost predator like. Cammie only stared at his hand.

The boy 'Dillon' was wearing simple clothing. Black jeans that were almost too skinny, a pair of black hunting boots, a black t-shirt, and a black hoodie- all of witch went nicely with his tan skin. She scoffed, surprised his hair wasn't black but a soft dark-brown cut in shaggy layers that fell just above his eye brows. Cammie had to tilt her head up to look at him properly, feeling even shorter than her five-foot-three already was.

"What are you doing here?" Cammie asked in a bitter tone, angry that 'Dillon' had disturbed her peace.

"I could ask the same thing, Honey." Dillon dropped his hand and leaned against an old thin tree. It cried in protest but stayed rooted to the ground. For a moment they just stood, observing each other. Dillon looked like a normal boy, very handsome. Cammie may have passed by him with an extra glance or two. His cheeks were slightly sunken in and his cheek bones were sharp. The corner of his eyes had small laugh lines and he had a dimple on his left cheek. The slope of his nose was almost perfect except for a small bump in the middle of it and the tip was turned up the slightest bit. Soft pink lips were turned up in a lazy smile, the color almost dark compared to his light tan skin. The only feature that gave her chills were his strange eyes.

"Well, I have to get home." Cammie turned around and started walking the way she came. "My mother is probably worried."

"You shouldn't be afraid," Dillon quickly said. Cammie stopped, waiting for him to continue. "Of the woods I mean. It's your home. Remember that." She shook her head and scoffed, hugging her arms close to her as the air suddenly became cold.

"Whatever."

"I'll see you later." Cammie ignored him and kept walking.

* * *

It turns out, Cammie had five missed calls, six text messages, and three voicemails on her phone. And as she walked into her house, took off her shoes, and walked to the kitchen, Cammie knew she was going to get an ear full.

"And would you like to tell me where you have been for the past two hours?" Her mother roared as she stomped in the kitchen. Cammie turned around as calmly as she could.

"Um- I-Bex and I, we stayed after. We had to help on the homecoming float." Hopefully her stuttering didn't give her away.

"Mhmm, yeah, and what is your theme?" Sarah gave a knowing look but made Cammie answer anyway.

"Ancient Egypt." Cammie's voice was small, knowing her mom somehow knew where she was.

"And were you working in the woods? Or did these leaves and small twigs just randomly appear?" Sarah reached her arm out and pulled a pine needle out from Cammie's hair. Cammie looked at it in horror.

"I just took a small detour to home I swear!" Excuses were rambling out like Cammie's mouth was on rapid fire. Sarah held up her hand to stop Cammie from talking. Immediately she closed her mouth.

"Cammie, you can't do this to me! Not now, not when we have a killer roaming this town." Something in Sarah's eyes told Cammie that there was more going on. The way her body was stiffer than usual and how more uptight she has been lately wasn't right.

"Mom," Cammie stepped forward, "What's _really_ going on?" She thought back to the letter she saw her mother reading that morning. How she looked at it with concern and confusion.

Sighing, Sarah sat down.

"There has been another killing." Cammie' heart stopped.

"Who?" All Cammie could think of was Josh lying in the ground, dead with a marking on his chest and a math equation on his ear.

"Preston Winters." Somehow, knowing Preston was dead hurt even more than if Josh were dead.

Cammie has never been close to the Mayor's son. She only exchanged a few conversations with him, but Macey talked about him all the time and last wednsday, the boy finally got the nerve to ask Macey to Homecoming. The girl was floating on cloud nine for the rest of the week she was happier than ever and now, the love if her life was gone. Cammie couldn't bare to see the hurt in Macey's eyes. She would either have to avoid Macey or not go to school tomorrow.

_What kind of friend would do such a thing? Macey needs all the comfort she can get_.

Mustering up a small amount of courage, Cammie took a step back and hung her head.

"I'm going to go call her."

* * *

Macey wasn't answering her phone. In fact, a recording had said that the phone had been disconnected. Cammie sighed in frustration and covered her face with her pillow.

She could practically see Preston's dead body. The C surrounded by a circle on his chest. 10-5=5 on the back of one of his ears.

Five dead, five more innocent victims to go.

* * *

Cammie went to school slightly late the next day because Sarah insisted on driving her.

"You come right home, do you understand me? I have to work late today and if you're not home by the time I get there, you're grounded." Cammie nodded.

"Okay mom, I understand."

Apparently, it took five murders for people to become concerned for their children's safety. Macey, along with many other students hadn't come to school. Josh, however, was there, and if he was shaken up, he didn't show it.

Cammie was getting ready for second period when a shadow stood behind her.

"Hey Cam, you know, Homecoming is on Saturday, and I was wondering, you know, if you wanted to go?" Cammie turned around, slowly as if she was still trying to comprehend what he just asked her.

"That's what your thinking about?" She wasn't mad, more curious as to why Josh would be thinking about who his date would be to homecoming rather than a fifth student being killed.

Josh scratched the back of his neck.

"Listen Cam. I like you. And I want to take you to the dance, and maybe dinner afterwards?"

She was shocked. _Is he _that_ good at hiding emotions, or does he just not care?_

"Listen Josh. I'm not really up to thinking about homecoming right now. With everything going on, I'm not even sure we're going to have the dance and I have to be there for my friends." Josh clenched his jaw and a look of anger flashed his eyes but Cammie over looked this.

"Well, what if I asked later?" Cammie looked at him in astonishment. Any other day, her heart would be running a 5K and her stomach would be doing gymnastics, but, putting her athletic emotions aside, Cammie could only glare at Josh.

"My friend's boyfriend was just killed. I don't even know if I'll be going _any_where for a while.." With that, she stalked away leaving Josh in pure rage. He kicked a nearby locker putting a large dent in the already beat up pice of metal. The sun was mocking him today, but as soon as he thought that, the sky filled with clouds in the distance and thunder made a light rumble. He shook his head and walked as calmly a possible to his next class, hopefully able to ignore Zach's amused looks which were sure to follow him the rest of the day.

* * *

Cammie couldn't believe she ever liked someone who was so shallow. He had seemed so nice, but in reality, all he cares about is himself. Like every other boy in the world.

So that's how she ended up here, in the woods after school had let out. The sun was hidden behind clouds that finally caught up form earlier and it started sprinkling. She didn't care. Instead, she embraced the cold water that dropped on her skin. The leaves were getting soggy and piles of dead grass clung to her feet making Cammie thankful that she wore sneakers. As she walked through small trails, wet flower petals stuck to her arms and hair. The rain began to poor harder, the force causing acorns not gathered by small animals to disconnect from flimsy twigs and branches and onto the ground. Every so often she would feel ladybugs land on her skin, their little legs tickled as they crawled up an down her arm. The sound of the rain hitting the tree branches and dead leaves on the ground reminded Cammie of a time where she took a large bag of white rice and dumped the whole thing on her kitchen floor. It was a nicer time. A time when her mother wasn't always worrying about things and actually let Cammie play on the playground with other kids.

Apparently nature wasn't in a happy mood today. Wind howled and blew with harsh force, roaring at anything it could. Trees moved from side to side, almost as if they were shaking form the cold. The rain created a sad type of music and Cammie started to feel sad as well. She couldn't place the reason why. It was like she was connected to the forest. When the trees groaned in against the wind, Cammie felt sorry for them. Animals wound huddle in their homes and Cammie would want to do something to make them more comfortable.

"Sad isn't it?" A low voice whispered in her ear. She whipped around, her heart racing, but saw no one.

"I mean really, who would want to be a plant when all that happens is you getting pushed around by the wind." The owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen. It chuckled. "Weather can be a big bully can't it?"

"Who's there?" She asked loudly over the pouring rain. Stray strands of hair stuck from out of her braid and onto her face. She wiped some strands away from her eyes and squinted, trying to see past the sheet of rain that was placed in front of her.

"Come on, love, take a wild guess." The voice, despite the loud precipitation, was soft and mocking. A deep kind of mysterious that lulled her almost. Cammie kept turning in circles so, looking every which way, but could see no one.

A big gust of wind blew past her, almost knocking her off her feet.

"Your eyes are open, Love, but you do not see. You over look what ever scares you so you don't have to be frightened. I'm not going to frighten you, Love. You fear what I _might_ be more than you what I actually am. So, why not stop fearing? For only a second." Cammie didn't know what this voice wanted. She was frightened, because it knew she was frightened. It spoke in riddles, and she didn't like that.

"Who are you?" Cammie asked turning in circles.

"I am what ever you want me to be. I can be anything, or nothing. You choose."

This didn't even make sense! What was this voice talking about?

"Show your self!" She yelled. Rain pored harder soaking Cammie to the bones.

"I told you Love." It spoke, the voice right next to her ear, "You can see but you are blind. Fear is blocking your sight. Stop fearing. Stop being afraid. This is your home. Nothing will hurt you." It whispered the last part, fading as it did.

Cammie _wasn't_ afraid until a voice started speaking to her. I fact, she was quite happy until it ruined her peace.

_Fine, I'll stop fearing. Maybe, if I can see you, I can punch you._

Cammie concentrated, relaxing her muscles. She didn't think about how freaky it was that she couldn't see him in the first place, she didn't think about how dark it suddenly got and how much more rain was falling to the ground. She only thought about hitting the person who destroyed her peace and thoughts. Finally, after what seemed like forever, a boy very slowly appeared in front of her, head tilted, lips smirking, and hands lazily resting in the pockets of black jeans.

The first thing she noticed were his eyes. How inhuman they looked and how they glowed like a cats would at night. Then there was his hair. No longer dark brown, but black form the rain, some locks plastered on his face while other parts stuck up in a messy fashion. His clothes almost made him unnoticeable in the dark light but the cocky smirk gave him away. She had forgotten about him. Forgotten about their last encounter, but it didn't take long for her to realize who the boy was that stood right in front of her through the rain.

_Dillon._

Now she _really_ wanted to hurt him.

"You! What is up with you and being in the woods?" She seethed. "Stop bothering my peace!" Dillon chuckled.

"Oh come on, Love. You're happy to see me, admit it. You'd be dead bored if I hadn't come along." He stepped towards Cammie, making her step back. This continued until her back pressed against a tree and she felt stupid for falling for his little trap. Dillon must have noticed as his eyes laughed at her as he moved so that he was only a few inches in front of her. His breathing was even as he looked down at her.

Water poured down their faces, dripping off their chins and noses. She couldn't help but look at how radiant his eyes were compared to the dark gray sky. They were so strange. _Unnatural_. Yet she couldn't help but be intrigued by them.

"How'd you do that?" Cammie asked, shaking from the cold. The rain continued to pour down, harder and harder to the point where talking loudly wouldn't suffice and she instead had to yell in order to be heard. Her hair was plastered to her face messy and knotted and her clothes hung heavily to her skin.

"Do what, Love?" Dillon asked in a low whispere. Somehow, Cammie was still able to hear him. _Why was she still able to hear him?_

"Appear out of no where like that." Dillon laughed and leaned his hands on both sides of her head, trapping her.

"You did it yourself, Love." he murmured. "You opened a second set of eyes." Cammie was about to respond with a question but stopped when Dillon became stiff.

"What? What's wrong?" She asked. Dillon slowly leaned forward as not to disturb any animal that might be lurking in the woods, moving his head so his lips were grazing her right ear.

"Be quiet and run as soon as I tell you to." Cammie was suddenly worried again.

"What are you-" Dillon place a cold hand over her mouth. A twig cracked in the distance and an animal Cammie has never heard before, growled.

"_Run_." Cammie didn't have to be told twice. Ducking under Dillon'a arms, Cammie used all her strength to stay up strait. She could barely see through the rain but when she turned around, she could make out Dillon holding a dagger, fighting of something that looked to be the mix of a lion and an eagle.

As she ran, she tried blocking out the growls and cries from both Dillon and what ever animal it was. She wanted to go back and help him, but she didn't know what she would do. So she kept running, hoping to find a hunter or someone with a weapon to come to their aid. Through the darkness and the rain, it was almost impossible to see where she was going, but that didn't matter. As long as she was still on her feet.

A few minutes later, a hand grabbed hers and pulled her to the right. Cammie screamed, only stopping when she realized who it was.

Dillon's face was covered with blood and his hair was turning a midnight black, darker than it was only a few minutes before from the rain. They took another turn an came to a small pond. Cammie didn't have any time to think before he pulled her into the pond with him.

Every thing was quiet. The world was dark and cold, not to mention wet. Cammie tried to swim to the surface, but her dear friend Fear made her legs paralyzed making it impossible to reach the despratly needed air. A hand pulled her closer as Cammie's world turned impossibly darker and all the air left her lungs.

_Come on mom! The waters great!" Cammie yelled as she ran to the ocean waters. The footprints of a ten year old made a trail all the way up to the water. Half of the trail was gone as the waves crashed up. Sarah laughed and walked up to the waters. Just as Cammie turned around, a wave smacked her back, knocking the air out of the small body. Suddenly, Cammie's world was dark. She tried to swim back to the surface, but something had a hold on her leg, preventing her form going anywhere. The only noise came from the waves smashing her against the sand. Cammie's lungs filled with salt water making it impossible to breathe. she didn't have time to be scared because after only a few seconds, the noise was gone and she was unconscious_.

* * *

"Come on, Love, wake up!" Dillon pressed his mouth to Cammie's and breathed air into her lungs. He huffed while pressing on her chest. Still no response. Once again, his mouth was pressed to hers. Another push on her lungs. His ear came to her mouth so he could listen for any sign of breathing. Cammie then started coughing, water splashed from her mouth as Dillon quickly sat her up and bent her over, making sure most to all the water left her lungs.

"I'm right here, Love, it's alright." Dillon hugged Cammie to him and rocked her back and forth while she sobbed into his chest. He spoke soothing words and stroked her hair, calming her.

"It's alright, Love. Everything is going to be fine."

Cammie cried for a while longer and slowly started to breathe regularly.

"Do ya mind tellin' me what the was about?" Dillon asked as he continued to rock her in his lap.

"I-Iv'e never had good experience with water." Cammie answered in a raspy voice. Her throat was sore in an almost numb way and her eyes stung from crying. She tried breathing but it was getting harder.

"Take it easy, Love." Dillon stood up, taking Cammie with him as if to cradle her before setting her down.

"Why would you do that? What _was_ that thing?" She asked, thinking back to the strange animal that would have killed her if Dillon hadn't stepped in and ruined her piece. The rain had stopped a while ago and the only sound showing evidence it ever was raining was from the drips coming off bushes and tree branches as well as the slops of wet grass and dirt on the ground. A squirrel ran up a tree while Dillon spoke.

"Well, Love, I would love to tell ya, but I need ta get going." with that, Dillon left.

Cammie stomped her foot on a pile of wet grass and dead mushrooms creating a squishy sound and grunted. The sky was still cloudy but not as dark as earlier which gave Cammie better light to walk home in.

"Boys are stupid." She spat. Looking around, she couldn't tell where she was. It turns out, the pond was bigger than she had thought when Dillon threw her in. The grass wasn't too long except for blades surrounding the pond's perimeter. Lilly pads were scattered throughout, owned by a few frogs and Lilly flowers..

_The deeper I go into the woods, the more beautiful it gets._

Her awestruck feeling soon flickered away as a thought came to mind. Now a new feeling took over

Annoyance.

Looking in her pocket, Cammie found exactly what she knew would be there. A soaking wet phone.

"Stupid Dillon."

* * *

Zach watched Dillon walk away from the pond and Cammie as he hid in a near by bush. He followed until they were far enough from Cammie to not be heard, and tackled Dillon to the ground.

"You idiot! Why do you have to mess with everything!" Zach yelled. Dillon raised an eyebrow and pushed Zach off of him, showing no shock of what just happened.

"Well, I didn't think the King would be very happy if she got killed by a griffin, but, I could be wrong." He retorted, already done talking to the idiot in front of him.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be so mad, except for the fact that she saw you appear from nowhere right before her fucking eyes! You don't think that to a girl living her whole life in the mortal world would think that's a little strange!?" Zach yelled. Sure, he didn't like Dillon, but when the stupid idiot decides to go against King's orders and expose even a small portion of immortality, his feelings grow to more than just dislike.

"Don't _you_ think that to a girl living in the mortal world her whole life should be exposed to who she really is?" Dillon spat back.

"No, I don't. Her father made that clear the day he told me to help Sarah watch her. You mess with everything! You constantly make your own rules for your own entertainment. Why can't you just let things be for once?!" The two boys glared at each other for only a few seconds when Dillon gripped his hair and snapped.

"Because you're just like her!" The wind started picking, feeling Dillon's anger. It whipped their hair and clothes violently but the two boys ignored it, glaring at each other. "You let your fear blind you like a _fool_. The Circle found her, Zachary. They are killing to cause chaos and fear, luring Cammie to a place that she is just discovering gives her comfort. A place where they can snatch her in a heart beat. It's a game to them. Why don't you stop being so worried for her safety for a second and open your eyes?! You're making her unsafe!"

"Five more kids Zach. A warning. Five more and then she's gone. Open your damn fucking eyes and do what is best for her. It's about time she knows who she really is." Wind started whirling around Dillon; like a tornado. Dead leaves were dragged with it making a curtain in front of him and then it stopped. Dillon was gone.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys caught the changes. Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!**


	4. Scaled Secrets

**Update: 12/3/15 (A/N: sentence in bold is the start of my added in paragraph it's important, so I advise you to read the whole paragraph)**

XXX

**Scaled Secrets**

Cammie closed her front door and sighed in relief knowing she had made it home before her mom. Dealing with her mother's wrath was not exactly something she wanted to deal with at the moment.

The house was quiet like it always is when she's home alone. Walking to the kitchen, the wooden floorboards creaked, every step coming with a loud groan. The walls were still painted that awful mustard yellow color though her mother was positive they would get re-painted before then end of the year. Pictures of her and Sarah were placed proudly on the walls, stopping at the kitchen doorway.

In the kitchen, cherry-red cabinets were placed under the sink, on both sides of the old white fridge, and over the chipped marble counters. There was a small wooden table blacked by a corner window with a small vase and fake flowers in the middle.

Grabbing a bowl and some rice, Cammie took apart her phone and placed the parts in. Hopefully the rice will do its job and save her electronic device from death.

"Why me? Why can't Dillon bother some other girl?" She asked herself.

_You can't hate him _too_ much. He _did_ save your life. _

Cammie knew her lovely conscience was right. How can you hate someone when they had saved your life? _Twice_?

She sighed in frustration and took lazy steps to her room, taking the bowl of rice with her.

Green was Cammie's favorite color so it would only make sense for her walls to be painted a dark forest green. Her room wasn't too big and wasn't too small. It was just the right size to be able to fit queen sized bed by her window, the one that over looked the woods across the street, as well as a desk that sat by her door frame and a closet across from her bed. A few pillows and beanbag chair decorated a corner, it's company, a small book shelf. Simple yet perfect.

Cammie plopped on her bed with a groan, wanting nothing but rest and to be away from this crazy world. Sleep was an escape. An escape from Josh, an escape from Dillon, and an escape from all the homicides that have been going on for the last two months. Okay. So, maybe she didn't _want_ an escape from Dillon. Possibly, only the way he's been acting. Appearing out of no where, fighting an animal that was supposed to exist only in books and movies, and his stupid riddles.

_You can see but you are blind_. She mocked in her head.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Her mind was too tired to think about it though. After getting dressed into dry pajamas, she snuggled into her bed thinking of the very person she couldn't understand.

Dillon.

The way his eyes were nothing like a humans. How he could appear out of no-where. The strange way he made her feel with his dumb nicknames. Even his 'ya' and 'ta's weren't as annoying as she had first thought. His stupid smile made her stomach do a little summersault; the way the left side of his mouth turned up farther than his right making his dimple slightly deeper. She didn't like thinking about these things but they wouldn't leave her mind. She had felt the same way about Zach during the football game Macey dragged her to.

Then she thought him. About Zachary in all his annoying glory. His tousled brown hair always made Cammie want to run her hand through it, no matter how much she told herself she didn't like him. She thought about his strong cheek bones and jaw line were so defined it looked as if he were sculpted and imagined what it would be like to run her fingers along it. His eyes were a bright green that sparkled when light hit them just the right way. Those very eyes were always on guard, searching as if something were ready to jump out at him.

As Cammie thought about the two boys, a thought came to mind.

_Why is everyone all of the sudden having green eyes? First there was Zach, then the detective, and now Dillon (not to mention the weird way his looked like a reptiles. A strange asset that she could only blame a mutation on)._

Cammie pushed her thoughts from the two strange boys and everything else that has been happening, wanting nothing but peace and rest. Her soft blue eyes were fluttering closed when she heard the front door opened.

"Cammie , I'm home!" Cammie groaned and got up to greet her mother.

"Hey mom?" She asked once she reached the kitchen.

"Hmm?" Sarah asked while she put groceries away

"Have you seen anything. . . I don't know, strange lately?" If Sarah was bothered by the question, she didn't show it. Instead, she put down a can of beans and rested her waist on the counter.

"What do you mean by 'strange'?" Sarah's knees shook slightly, knowing what Cammie was talking about, but wanting to hear it come out of her mouth.

"I don't know, like, weird animals? People appearing out of no-where?" Cammie shook her head and gave a dry chuckle. "I think I'm going crazy." **But** **she** **wasn't**. The sixteen year old girl remembered something like this before. In a book. One that her mom read to her as a child a story about a beast in the woods that tried to attack a girl, described exactly how what she saw in the woods with Dillon looked. She recalled how the book told of a kind gentlemen, how he saved the girl from the beast. A gentlemen that wore all black, that of a simple blacksmith. Surely this wasn't some imagination of a childhood memory. It was real. It was all real.

There was an awful chill in the air. Painted leaves scratched the window when ever there was a strong gust of wind. Sarah looked at Cammie, paying no attention to the world around her. She knew this day would come. It doesn't help that the Circle is coming for her. They'll do anything to expose Cammie of everything she thought existed in literature and movies. Anything to cause fear and confusion in her mind.

"Sorry, Cam. I don't think I have." Sarah pushed herself of the counter and walked up to Cammie, putting the back of her cool hand on Cammie's forehead. "Are you feeling alright? Your a little warm." This wasn't a lie. Cammie's head was getting warmer and warmer by the minute. She sneezed and her eyes became droopy.

"I shouldn't have let you walk home in the rain." Sarah went to the bathroom coming out with a thermometer. "Put this in your mouth while I make some tea." Cammie did as told and sat down at the kitchen table. Looking out the window, Cammie wondered what that animal exactly was, and if it was just her imagination. Maybe Dillon was just some person her mind made up in an act of boredom.

XXX

It was night now. The clouds had scattered leaving a small dusting of the water vapor at random spots. The moon shown bright and proud down on earth forming a glow on a few trees and white mailboxes. There was no breeze which allowed Cammie to be able to hear the music nature offered. Owls hooted and wolves howled while there was a steady flow of tree frogs as they called out to each other in a loud but peaceful chirp. Stars twinkled throughout the sky and the moon was a magnet for any bug smart enough to fly to it instead of a porch light.

It was like there was never as storm that day.

Cammie sat on her bed with her window open and a box of tissues in her hand, happy she didn't have a bad fever. Maybe she _was_ going crazy. Maybe that animal she saw in the woods didn't really exist. Dillon, if he were even real, probably just thought it was funny to try and drown an unsuspecting little girl. But even _if_ she tried to convince herself of this, Cammie still looked out in the woods, hoping to see the half bird half lion creature.

"This is stupid." Cammie huffed to herself "It's eleven thirty and I see nothing but bats and bugs." Skimming the woods once more, she bit her lip in thought.

_I'm sure mom won't miss me if I were gone for a few minutes. _

The girl got up from her bed and grabbed her fluffy black robe that hung off the back of her chair and walked down the stairs to the front entrance. She made sure her steps were close to the walls, trying to avoid as much noise as possible. Only a few floor boards creaked, each time Cammie cringed and waited a few seconds before continuing.

Reaching the front door, the girl smiled in victory and grabbed her black winter boots. Once tied, she slowly unlocked the door before opening it. The cold night air bit at her skin making her flinch back slightly in shock.

_It still smells like rain. _She thought as the moist air blew past her.

The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. All thoughts of what could go horribly wrong ignored, thinking of this as only an adventure.

_Here goes nothing_.

She stepped out side, quietly closing the door behind her. The moon created a perfect flashlight for Cammie. She walked on the grass to avoid any sounds of walking thanking the rain for making the leaves wet and soggy; muting her sound.

She walked across the road and jumped over a ditch, coming face to face with the trees. Like always, they stood tall and proud, guarding the plants and other living creatures inside. Cammie could see the glow of three pairs of deer eyes on her right but they were too far away for her to tell which ones were buck, doe, and faun. She turned back to face the woods and took a step forward. Her feet shuffled through puddles and mud with every step. The sound of the water moving beneath her feet didn't trouble her any. Slopes created by ant hills and random mounds of dirt were almost dry from the runoff, only making the ground lower than then more saturated. Moss that grew on the trees making random patterns that no artist could ever muster up enough talent to copy. Taking her hand, Cammie pressed her fingers on one of the moss pads and the force made water leak out and small fuzzes of green to come off on her skin.

She spent ten minutes walking through trees, twisting and turning praying that there were no bugs on her or bats stalking as she wandered. Finally, she came to a small opening. Tree branches cut off most of the light making it hard for Cammie to see. Looking around, she found a large fallen tree branch and sat on it.

_No weird animals. No Dillon. Is it really just my imagination?_

She jumped when something walked out of the bushes, thinking it was Dillon then sighed when she saw it was just a bunny. She didn't dare touch it, afraid of getting scratched or bit.

Cammie sat for a while longer, looking around. After a few minutes, she got up to look for the opening she had found the other day. Dead flowers covered bushes while soggy dead leaves clung to her feet as she trudged through tiny swamps created by the rain from earlier that day. Fifteen minutes later, Cammie found herself out of luck. She was lost. Trails were becoming too dark and eerie, knotted with roots and bushes that had one to many thorns.

"Dang it!" Cammie shouted, stomping her foot. "Why did you even come out to look for this stupid creature? You're so stupid, Cammie!"

"I could agree with that." Cammie screamed and swung at the intruder. He easily dogged the blow and grabbed her wrist. The un armed teen girl was ready to yell at Dillon. Tell him to stop sneaking up on her. But when she looked up, her eyes became wide.

"Why so surprised to see me, Cam?" Zach asked with a smirk. This wasn't one of his playful teasing smirks. It was more dangerous. His eyes were dark and he was dressed similar to Dillon. Zach scowled and glared at Cammie. "Why are you here, Cam? This isn't a place for little girls to be at night." Cammie glared at Zach as this was the second time he decided to sound like her mother.

"Oh yeah? Why are _you_ here? Gonna kill someone else? I bet that's why you and that Dillon kid are in the woods. He's probably hiding the body right now huh? Let go of me or I'm gonna scream!" She shouted. Cammie didn't know where all that came from. She didn't even suspect Dillon or Zach to be the murderer. She was just scared and mad.

Zach pulled Cammie against his chest and leaned down so his lips were brushing her ear.

"I'm not the killer Cam, and I don't know who this 'Dillon' kid is." he growled. "I suggest you go home before you get hurt." Cammie pushed Zach away and scoffed.

"Is that a threat? Gosh, _Zach_, I thought you weren't the _killer_." She paused for a moment then scrunched her nose and fisted her hands. "And I'm _not_ a little girl."

Their surroundings were quiet and still, the only light was the moon and even the trees covered up some of it. Zach crossed his arms and looked at Cammie up and down while she just wished she had brought a flashlight so she could clearly see around herself.

Finally, after a few moments of awkward silence, Zach spoke.

"Could have fooled me," Cammie glared and was ready to yell at him when something flew past her face and stuck to the tree next to her. The two became stiff as the sound of something splintering off bark cracked through the air. They turned and faced the object, Zach's senses now high.

A knife. A small one. It's blade was sharp and thin with a white handle sporting a symbol Cammie could barely make out in the dark of the night.

It was capitol C inside a circle. Just that small symbol at then end of the handle made her spine go stiff. She gasped and Zach grabbed her wrist and ran.

_They're coming for me_. Was all she could think.

Another knife whizzed by, followed by another, and another. It was an ambush, that much was obvious. And that scared Cammie more than anything.

"Dammit!" Zach yelled and in an act of reflex, pushed Cammie to the side, making her fall between a bundle of bushes. He hoped she was smart enough to crawl through the brush of thick plants and stay as out of sight as possible while he lead them away from her.

Zach kept running, trying to rip the knife from his shoulder without bumping it further in. He turned left down a narrow path and came to a dead-end. His breath was ragged as he looked around, trying to find the best tree to climb. It wasn't the best hiding spot thanks to the leaf-less branches, but it would have to do. Once up on the tallest tree, an oak, he sat and waited for the Circle agents to give up and leave. From his height, he could see the group split up going down every trail looking for him and the girl. He knew that at some point, he might get caught but knew he'd rather have him get taken away than Cammie.

As Zach looked through the thick branches that acted as his shield, one of the agents looked up, searching as best he could through every single twisting branch. Zach's eyes grew wide, a zap of hurt and betrayal flowed through him and he wanted to yell, scream, and pull every single strand of hair out from his head.

Josh looked around, his eyes sweeping over Zach for a brief second, then looking at a man next to him.

"I don't see anyone, Sir." Josh told the guy. He only nodded and the two left.

Minutes flew by with Zach still hiding in the tree, still cautious and assuming there might be an agent hiding somewhere to grab him. But when he was sure the coast was clear, Zach leaped down from the tree and roughly ripped the knife from his shoulder, obserfing the sharp object before angrily whipping it to the ground in frustration.

_Josh. That fucking traitor!_

Cammie didn't dare let her body come above the lowest bushes. Her knees cramped as she crawled along the muddy ground, staying hidden out of sight for as long as she could. Her robe was now full of twigs and mud and probably had a good amount of holes in it from getting caught on the bushes, but that didn't matter. Right now, her life was at stake.

Just as she about to move down another path, an arms wrapped around her waist and a hand snaked around her head to cover her mouth. She sucked in a deep breath of cold air through her nose to get ready to scream for Zach when a low, soft voice spoke in her ear.

"Don't scream Sweetheart. I'm gonna get ya out of here." Dillon grabbed Cammie's hand and started running.

"Who are they Dillon? You and Zach know something. What's going on?" Cammie was trying not to cry, but she couldn't help the tears that spilled over and were now running down her face. "They're the killers, aren't they?"

"I'll explain later but right now, I need ya ta get on my back." Dillon suddenly stopped. Cammie only hesitated a second before doing as told. She heard yelling in the distance, shivering when someone said her name.

"Hang on Sweetheart, the ride's gonna get a little bumpy." Cammie did as told, amazed at how fast Dillon could run with one hundred-twenty extra pounds on his back.

Everything past that happened in slow motion. To Cammie anyway. Almost like a movie that wanted to make sure she could see everything that was happening so there was no confusion.

Dillon ran into a clearing. A log was in front of him and instead of tripping over it, he jumped. But he never made a landing. Instead, Dillon's neck grew almost six feet longer and as wide as a tree trunk. Dark green and black scales crawled up his spine and to his head that was now longer with a narrow mouth- a snout like feature baring sharp rows of teeth. His ears were small and pointed, reminding her of a cat's. Wide long wings sprouted form his sides and a long thick tail grew from behind them. Dillon roared into the night sky, something of what sounded like a battle cry. Cammie screamed and hung on tighter and they got higher and higher in the air.

She was _flying_. Well, _she_ wasn't flying, but the boy, that apparently wasn't just a boy, was. The wind whipped her face, cold and bitter. The dragon blew fire into the night sky creating a large ring. Next thing she knew, they were flying through it. Cammie closed her eyes, waiting for the burn, but it never came. Istead, she felt a rush of longing in her, longing and sorrow. She didn't dare open her eyes, the feelings traipsing her in confusion. Minutes went by, her sobs decreasing while the motion of his boy- of this animal- and the sounds of its wings flapping through the air lulled her. Finally, after a few moments, she slowly peeled her eyes open and her mouth dropped in amazement.

They were flying over a forest, larger than Cammie has ever seen. The trees weren't empty, but instead full of leaves that were painted red, orange, yellow, and a bright gold. Not one leaf was green. It was like Autumn was too afraid to let its leaves fall, so they kept them as a treasure to always remember its glorious colors. The sun shown bright and high in the sky more radiant than ever before. It was hard to miss its golden rays, because they were so visible and they shimmered as if excited. Out of no where, the sky became foggy and white. She laughed and reached her hand out, touching the fluffy cloud not caring that she was getting wet. It was like she was getting misted at a waterpark, a fun and free one.

The dragon landed in a large opening in the forest. Cammie slid off his back, reality of what just happened finally sinking in. She looked at the large reptile before her, knowing it was Dillon, but not understanding how. It had the same eyes as him, his scales were all different shades of brown with black mixed in, just like his bipolar hair. His tongue looked like a fork, the same as a snakes except he didn't come with a hiss.

They just stood there, looking at each other. Dillon made no move, afraid he would startle her.

The forest was quiet, only sounds of animals Cammie didn't feel were normal made small disturbances of the peace.

"Oh my gosh." She whispered putting a hand over her mouth. Dillon turned back to his human form, and Cammie closed her eyes, knowing he didn't have any clothes on. After a minute, she felt cold hands on her face making her flinch.

"Don't be afraid of me, Sweetheart." Dillon whispered. "It's still me." Cammie opened her eyes but still faced the ground, afraid of what she might see. "Look at me, Sweetheart." Dillon lifted her chin so she was looking at him. He had somehow gotten a pair of pants on but he was shirtless. Cammie tried hard not to blush at that fact.

"What the heck just happened?" She asked in a whisper. "Where are we? Who were those people? What- what's going on?" Cammie wanted to pass out. She wanted dark to eat away at her so she didn't have to face what ever dream or sick reality this was.

Dillon hugged her, Cammie didn't protest but pressed her face to his chest holding back a tired and muddled sob. He ran his hand through her hair, squeezing her to him as if he didn't hold her tight enough, she might disappear.

"I'll explain later, Sweetheart. I promise." There was a sound of rustling leaves and low grunting from the trees, followedd by a very angry voice.

"You will explain _nothing_ to her." Zach spat walking out of the forest. Dillon glared at him, annoyed that he ruined the moment. The small blonde looked to Zach and stepped out of his arms with a small blush.

Zach was beat up. His face was full of cuts and bruises, and blood soaked his black shirt. He looked irritated, tired, and another emotion she couldn't quite place.

"I'm going to take her to the King, tell him _you_ brought her here, and that _you_ exposed her to this place." Zach stalked over to the two and grabbed Cammie's hand.

"Where are we, Zach?" Cammie asked. If Dillon wouldn't tell her anything, maybe Zach would.

"We're in the Golden Woods, which is in the Gallagher Kingdom." Zach explained. Cammie looked around her, trying to slow her heart rate down. "Now no further questions."

Golden Woods was a perfect name for this place. Not only were leaves painted gold and colors similar to it, but the bark on the trees and bushes were a dark amber; close to brown, but not quite. The sun just added to the color, making everything luminous and bright.

The birds that chirped overhead sounded the same but once one came into Cammie's line of vision, she realized these birds were not like what she was use to. It had midnight black feathers, red on the tips of it's wings. The bird's tail was long with a sharp point at the bottom end. It's eyes were a blood red color and on it's red beak were tiny razor sharp teeth. It stared at Cammie as she and the two boys walked through to forest, targeting her for what, Cammie didn't know. She squeezed Zach's hand and stepped closer to him. Zach smiled and looked down at her. It felt good to have her go to him for protection, her needing him at that moment was probably the only good thing that came out of the whole dilemma. But Zach would never thank Dillon for it.

"We'll be there soon Cam, but this forest isn't like the woods back home in the mortal world. There are creatures that don't care who or what they hurt, as long as they cause pain. You'll have to keep your eyes open and stay away from every animal and bug you see."

"Or I could just fly her to the castle." Dillon mumbled from the other side of her.

"I think you've done enough, _Dillon_." Zach sped up, dragging Cammie with him.

She was ready to wake up. This dream was strange and confusing. Sure, dragons were real scary monsters to her when she was six, but now, the only thing she needs to be scared of are tests and mean teachers. Birds with stingers and teeth only existed in books and deadly animals were known as sharks and lions. Where this dream came from, Cammie didn't know, but she wanted to wake up. And soon. But just thinking about how Zach said _mortal world_ made her head spin. It was like reality finally took a toll on her, claiming that it wasn't what she thought it was. That normal was really just a façade and things weren't always what she had thought. Because where there's _mortal_, there's also _immortal_. That was the type of logic no one dared believe in.

"You don't have to be afraid Cam. You'll get used to this world soon enough." Dillon said, touching her right hand in a way to give her comfort. "Remember, it's _home_."

Home. No. Her home was back in Toseville. Why does Dillon always say the woods is her home? She's no savage or animal. But the longer she thought about it, the more her longing for this place increased. It was as if the nature around her rejoiced in the fact that she was here, growing taller and more straight if even just slightly.

The three teens were more than half way to the kingdom. Dillon tried to talk to Cammie, earning a glare from Zach and silence from the small blonde who was still in shock of the whole thing.

Zach wanted nothing more than to hold Cammie's hand forever. He loved the feel of her soft skin on his. He only wished he made a move earlier. If he had, then he wouldn't have to worry about Dillon. Now, Zach has more things to worry about. Like keeping Cammie away from the Circle and keeping his head from being torn off by King Matthew for bringing the girl into this world. . . . Even though it wasn't _his_ fault. It doesn't help with the fact that Josh is apparently a traitor of Gallagher. No doubt King Matthew is going to force Zach to either get Josh back on his side, or kill him.

* * *

The three have been walking for hours and have only gotten three fourths of the way to the castle. Cammie's eyes started closing and her steps became slower and more sloppy. Zach had finally decided to stop and let her rest after she tripped over a small dead mushroom.

Dillon found some leaves and moss that would work nice for bedding and, after some bickering between the two boys, made Zach lay the sleeping girl on it.

"I don't see why you don't leave." Zach grumbled while he untied Cammie's robe and gently took it off of her so he could lay it down as a blanket. "We are perfectly fine with out you being such a drag." Dillon leaned against a tree staring at the sky.

"You're just jealous that I was the first one to lock lips with her, that's all." He shrugged, grinning at Zach. "Don't worry Goode. You'll get over it." Zach stood up and was in front of Dillon in a flash, his eyes dark ending with a fiery glint.

"All you were doing was saving her life. It meant nothing to her but that." His voice was dark and angry. Fangs jutted out, barely crossing his lower lip. His skin became dark and he leaped over to Cammie's sleeping body, guarding her small frame to keep Dillon away.

"You don't scare me, Goode." Dillon yawned. "And I'm not going to fight over a girl. She'll come to me when she's ready." Zach hissed at Dillon who simply laughed.

"You just had to convince her the freaking woods was a good place for her didn't you? Home?" Zach scoffed. "That wasn't her home. Her home is with Sarah." The dragon boy 'tsked' in shame and shook his head.

"You know I was talking about this place. She's needed here, whether you like it or not."

"Why don't you go make yourself useful and get some fire wood. It's getting colder by the second and Cammie doesn't need to freeze to death." Zach refused to comment on Dillon's statement. The guy was right. Cammie _was_ needed. And Zach had too much pride to admit that the dragon was right. But Dillon knew anyway, and he gave a sly grin.

"Why don't you, Goode? I'm comfortable right here." To prove his point, Dillon sat down and put his hands behind his head, crossing his ankles. Zach had no time to argue when he noticed Cammie start to shiver. Getting up, he glared at the dragon boy who looked more than happy with the way things were turning out.

"Try anything and I'll rip your heart out." with that, Zach raced off.

Dillon Lewis was a name everyone knew. He was known as a seductive creature, always playing with the women's mind. And it was true. He could get any girl he wanted with a simple wink. He hadn't been a virgin since he was thirteen.

On Dillon's sixteenth birthday, he decided to take a stroll out in the woods in the mortal world. He hadn't even been there for ten minutes when he saw her. Cammie Morgan. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Entranced by the way her hair flew and how her steps were so evenly placed when she walked. He knew she was to not be touched. Few people knew about King Matthew's daughter and those who did were not allowed to even glance at the girl while visiting the mortal town doing royal deeds for His Highness. But Dillon doesn't like to play by the rules.

Many nights he would sneak into her room or fly up to her window, silently mocking Sarah's way of protecting the girl. He would stare at Cammie and wonder what it would be like to have her. To hold her in his arms and never let go. He would think of them holding hands, kissing under the moonlight, even taking her virginity with caring love. He knew it was wrong, especially since she was the Princess of Gallagher, but he didn't care.

Now, here she was. In _his_ land (and hers but she doesn't know that, _yet_). It would be so easy to snatch her up and take her to his home up in the mountains. They could live together with out Zach, the King, or even the Circle to bother them. But he knew that wasn't possible. Cammie was in her real home now. The Circle was still playing a game of Cat and Mouse and Zach already put a silent claim on her- not that _that_ mattered to Dillon, but it just complicated things more.

He walked up to Cammie and stroked her face with his thumb and leaned in close to her ear.

"Soon we can be together, Sweetheart. I promise you that." He whispered. It's one thing to dance around the rules and another to completely disobey them. In Gallagher, it is wrong to take advantage of a sleeping women. If one does, he or she could be easily thrown out of the kingdom and even put to death. But looking at Cammie who was right in front of him, Dillon couldn't stop himself from leaning in and kissing her soft lips.

"I love you."

* * *

**W****ell, I love you too Dillon! Marry me?**

**Ugh, I think I fell in love with my own Character... how nice**

**PLEASE REVIEW! XD XD XD XD**

**Chapter four is now updated!**

**Do you remember what happens next? how about chapter seven? Anyone remember who we meet there? (**_four more chapters to go until the new one is officially up!)_

**Thoughts? tell me tell me! I love hearing what y'all have to say! Make predictions, Make guesses, tell me what you hate and what you love, Tell me about your new kitten that you got! I don't care! This is communication people! Use your typing powers! ...Or may the odds be ever in your favor... (No, we don't ask. We just let me be weird.)**

**IDEK what that was but whatever! I'm crazy and I know it! (Did you catch on to what I did? no? okay...)**

**Oh, and to the Sarah that reviewed on Strong Blue, if you're reading this, I am forcing you to be my best have no say. Because you made me smile. And Fanfic friends are the bomb!**

**If I made typos and basic mistakes, please, for all things Dillon and Zach, tell me! Thank you!**

**Soooo, Who are y'all rooting for? Dillon or Zach? If you don't remember, Can you guess what Zach is? **

**until next chapter... which will be in a few.. **

**Almost done editing guys! A few more to go until the new one! XD**

**Don't Forget to review! I love your thoughts!**


	5. Unknown Reunion

**Updated 12/3/15 (A/N Like the other chapters, I have added in a few things. You who already read these chapters probably wont want to read through the whole thing again so do what ever the heck you want. Speaking of which, **are there any first time readers here**?**

**Don't forget to review!)**

**Unknown Reunion**

The next morning, Cammie woke up and the first thought that came to mind was that her nightmare was finally over. But instead of waking up in a green room with desks and books, she woke in a forest that had a strange abundance of gold. Not actual gold nuggets, but living plants were either a bright gold or dark amber. Green grass and small splashes of red, orange, yellow, from different flowers and small animals and scattered colors of the rainbow brightened the large opening Cammie was currently lying in.

She sat up and looked around her, slightly dazed from her still sleepy state. The sun was not completely over the horizon making the sky a mixture of red, orange, and pink that faded into a light blue to make up the rest of the sky. Big fluffy clouds were outlined with orange from the sun, as if an orange highlighter was taken by a big giant to shade the top and two sides, only leaving the bottom to be grey.

Two pairs of black hunting boots lay a few feet away from her by a small camp fire that still had glowing ashes along with a black shirt, stiff with red flakes falling off of it and a hole in it's left shoulder. She knew it was Zach's, remembering his injuries form yesterday. The amount od dried blood on it made her think of how bad he actually was.

It was quiet in the forest. Not one animal made a sound. Cammie shivered, thinking they were planning an attack of some sort. An ambush was not something she wanted to experience again.

"Zach? Dillon?" Her voice echoed through the trees and up to the sky. Killer birds with sharp teeth on their beaks and a stinger for their tails flew from the trees rustling the leaves disturbing their peace. Squirrels with two heads and blood read eyes ran down the trees and leaves floated down to the grass. Branches swung back and fourth from the sudden disturbance before calming while strange looking red nuts continued to fall from the branches.

Cammie shivered at the strangeness of this place, still believing it wasn't real.

"Yes, Cutie?" Cammie squeaked in surprise and turned around. Her eyes became thin slits and she put her hands on her hips.

"Would you stop sneaking up on me?" She spat. "And don't call me that. Ever since we met you've called me a different nickname everyday. My name's Cammie, not Honey, or Sweetheart, or Cutie."

"Ya forgot about 'Love', Cutie." Cammie continued to glare at him in which Dillon's smile grew into a sly grin that created the small laugh lines from the corner of his eyes to slightly deepen.

"Stop smiling at me." She growled. Dillon took a step closer.

"But you're cute when you're angry." This caused Cammie to blush and drop her hands. Her face was blank and she found her bare feet very interesting. Really, what's more engrossing than chipped dark blue nail polish? Had Macey been the one he told that to, she would have said something along the lines of 'well then I'm about to get pretty freaking adorable', but Cammie would never think to say that unless she wanted to stutter and make a fool of herself. Dillon chuckled, taking small steps until he was right in front of her. "Ya scrunch your nose and ya get a little crease in your forehead. And your eyebrows knit almost ta the point where they're together. Your face turns red, but not as red as when you blush. . . . Like right now." With every word, Dillon ran his long fingers along her nose, eyebrows, and cheeks.

Cammie put her hands to her cheeks doing nothing to help cover her red face.

"I should call ya 'Cutie' more often. It fits."

"The only thing that fits is my fist in your face." Zach growled jumping from a tree. "Is Dillon bothering you, Goldie?" he asked. Cammie ignored his question and stared at his shoulder which had a large leaf and a pad of moss sloppily tied to the back of it with a vine.

"What happened to your shoulder?" She asked. Zach shrugged and plopped down to where his shirt and boots sat.

"Just got stabbed by a knife is all." He said it as if it were an everyday event. Cammie knew better. She could see he was in pain.

"They missed." Dillon mumbled. Cammie rolled her eyes at Dillon's remark and made her way over to Zach who was shoving his foot into his left boot.

"That is no way to wrap up a stab wound." Cammie had taken a semester of nursing for college credit the previous year. She hated the idea of people being in pain and wanted to know how she could be helpful in a first-aid event.

She gently unwrapped the vine from around his chest. Her hands grazed his skin causing him to shiver. Cammie paid no attention, focusing on his wound.

"Sit down, you're too tall." She mumbled. Zach did as told, giving Cammie better access to his wound. The cut was a little less than an inch long and at least half an inch deep and still slightly bleeding.

"Well, I have no way to seal it shut which isn't very healthy but I might be able to put enough pressure on it to stop the bleeding until we get proper medical help. You only have a few hours before you pass the twelve hour time limit for stitches."

"Or you can let him bleed to death." Dillon suggested from his spot against a near by tree.

"Shut up, Lewis." Zach spat, moving to go after him. Cammie pushed him back down.

"Stop it you two." Cammie folded the leaf in half and pressed it to Zach's shoulder. He grunted but stayed still.

"Hand me the moss." She ordered. Zach did, making sure to touch Cammie's fingers, letting his linger for as long as he could.

Cammie pressed the moss on the leaf, trying to ignore the small tingles she felt in her hands. She then took the vine and let one eighth hang over his shoulder so she could tie it later on. Taking the rest, she wrapped it around his chest and under his right arm, around his left armpit and across his chest one more time before tying it snug to him.

Stepping back, Cammie looked over her work.

"Good as new." She said in a proud voice. Zach stood up and was in front of her faster than she could blink and she squeaked in surprise. His eyes hooded over, his voice low and husky as he spoke.

"Thank you, Doctor. How could I ever repay you?" He asked. Cammie swallowed a lump in her throat trying very hard not to look at his firm chest or his six pack that she knew he had.

"Um." Was her bright response. His breath was warm on her skin as he leaned closet to her. Cammie's breath hitched, his sent intoxicating. She didn't know what it was but she wanted more of it, more of him. Then, she remembered all the times he bullied her when they were younger all the way up to his teasing in high school.

Snapping out of her daze, the girl backed up causing her to stumble over a log. Zach grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, steadying her. Cammie ripped her hand from his and stalked off.

"Don't bother to repay me. You don't need to." With that, she disappeared in the forest, not knowing where she was headed, but wanted to escape whatever had just happened.

XXX

Cammie had been walking around for at least an hour. Not once had she run into a man eating animal.

"Stupid Zach and his over exaggerations." She mumbled, kicking a small stone that lay on the dirt path.

The sun was up now, allowing Cammie to see better, though, it was still a bit shady from the absence of direct rays and the large amount of branches and leaves over her head. Cammie had nothing to be afraid of as she walked through the forest. She knew either one or both of the boys were following her from a distance. Most likely one or the other, though, because otherwise, she would have heard bickering and death threats between the two.

Cammie turned a corner and had to practically climb her way through the brush that laid on the ground.

"Gosh darn it!" She grunted when her foot got caught in a bundle of vine. She struggled to get out but it came to be no use. "Ugh, stupid plant. Let go!" Not a second later, Cammie heard a grunt mixed with a low growl not to far from her. It sounded threatening, a noise she would never like to hear again. Slowly, she lifted her head up, coming face to face with a dark gray wolf that stood only twenty feet away. It's eyes were ink black and it's teeth were so white it almost hurt her eyes. The animal's fur was shaggy and wild looking, only adding to its fierce look.

For a moment, the two stared at each other.

"Guys? I think it's time to come out now." Cammie whispered. The wolf's ears twitched making Cammie flinch.

"Guys?" She whispered again, not daring to move a muscle. The animal bared its teeth and growled again.

No one came.

_Is this some kind of sick trick?_

Just as the wolf was ready to pounce, and arrow found it's way through it's skull. The animal let out a yelp and immediately dropped to the ground with a thud, most likely dead or at least almost. A few seconds later, a boy came out of the bushes, brown and golden hunting clothes covered his body along with a pair of nicely crafted hunting boots, a large wooden bow held firmly in his hand. Cammie watched as the stranger plucked his arrow from the wolf's head and picked it up, slinging the large animal over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing.

The boy turned with a satisfied smirk, only to lock eyes with her's. His smirk dropped into a frown, then a scowl as his eyes went from widened surprise to thin slits. Shock and anger was written on his face

"Who the hell brought you here?" He growled. Cammie just stood in her spot, the winding rope of vine still refusing to release its victim. She hadn't even done anything and this stranger already hated her. She hadn't even spoke a single word to him!

"Uh- I- um-" The boy threw the animal on the ground and walked over to Cammie. His boots thudded against the hard dirt floor.

"Well?" He asked, helping her out of the brush of plants. Once she stood up, Cammie was able to get a good look at the new boy before her.

He looked to be around twenty three. His jaw was well defined and he was tall and fit. His skin was a soft tan making his blue eyes pop. Short, dirty blond hair lay on his head, flicked up in the front as so many kids in her high school did. Something about him was familiar. It could have been his nose; how it was the perfect size for his face. Or the way his mouth was shaped. Soft light pink lips that were, at the moment, stretched into a frown. Something about him just seemed like Cammie has seen it before.

Just like that moment in the woods, a scene flashed before her eyes. A scene of a boy and a girl, playing in some backyard, sword fighting. The little girl could barely walk right and the boy laughed at that, holding her hand so she didn't fall but still managed to use his stick and fight. The little girl giggled, and then she was gone.

"Um, well, Y-you see-"

"Dillon Lewis did, Your Highness." Zach's slow voice rumbled. He dropped down from a tree branch, right next to Cammie. It took all her will power not to punch his wound, that a shirt had not covered up yet, for almost allowing her to get eaten by a killer wolf.

The boy crossed his shoulders and stared at Zach.

"And where is he?" He asked.

"Right here." Dillon spoke, coming out from behind a tree. Cammie's mouth dropped open.

"You two idiots were here all along!" She yelled not holding her anger in any longer. "_Both_ you idiots bring me here, let me walk on my own, and let me almost get eaten by that crazed animal!?"

"Calm down, Cutie, I knew it wasn't gonna hurt ya." Dillon said with the wave of his hand. Cammie glared at him before kicking his shin for two reasons. One, for assuming she was fine, and two, for calling her 'cutie'. Maybe he would get mad enough to call her by her actual name.

"Ow! Dammit, Cutie, that hurt!" No such luck.

Rolling her eyes, she turned towards Zach and went to kick him but he moved out of the way.

"Calm down Princess, jeez!" Cammie glared at him. "Look, the only reason I let that happen was to see what you would do. If it got to close, I would have thrown a dagger at it. But I don't know about Lewis. He doesn't have the aim for that." Zach paused as if in thought. "He doesn't really have the brains for it either, come to think about it. He _is_ just an animal after all."

"That is _not_ my name and you know it." Cammie grumbled, referring to Zach calling her 'Princess' just as Dillon went to punch him.

"Shut up!" The new boy yelled. His eyes then shifted to Dillon. "You brought her here?" He asked in a low tone.

"Yes. I did. But only ta save her. The Circle found her, Your Highness. They were making threats." He paused. "And it's about time she comes here. I mean really, did ya honestly think she was going ta stay from this place her whole life? Reality was bound ta catchup at some point."

_Your Highness._

The familiar stranger looked at Dillon in shock.

"You, boy, are dancing on thin thread. You better hope it doesn't break. I could easily throw you out for talking to the Prince of Gallagher in such a way." He looked to Cammie who shrank back. "What is your name." It was a curious question, the Prince's voice was now soft and gentle. Cammie relaxed a bit.

"Cammie Larson. Or Morgan." She said in a small voice.

"Or?" He gave a soft smile, waiting her to elaborate.

"My dad's last name was Morgan. He died when I was little." Cammie frowned a little bit and shuffled her feet awkwardly. The Prince held out his hand despite her change in mood and introduced himself.

"My name is Prince Grant, but, you can just call me Grant." He breathed. Cammie took his hand, the _Prince's_ hand, to shake it. First bird-like creatures, then dragons and now prince's. What place has prince's these days?

_What place has _dragons_?_

'Grant's' hold on her was tighter that she expected, as if he didn't want to let go. There was an emotion in his eyes, something she couldn't quite place, but it almost looked like joy mixed with worry and longing.

_So much longing in the past few days_, she thought.

Grant slowly dropped her hand before going to pick up the dead animal.

"If you don't mind me asking, um, why is it exactly so bad for me to be here? And where is here exactly? I know were in The Golden Woods, but, is it on an island not very well known? Maybe down in Africa or South America? Although, you'd think that with a kingdom and strange animals on it, people would know about it. Unless this is some privately owned island like Jurassic Park. Are you genetically engineering new animal species?" Now it was making sense. This was just some experiment to see a simple minded teenage girl would react to a place like this. Maybe they're thinking about opening it to the public sometime soon. Does her mother know she's here? Then she remembered what Zach said before she fell asleep.

_"We'll be there soon Cam, but this forest isn't like the woods back home in the mortal world. There are creatures that don't care who or what they hurt, as long as they cause pain. You'll have to keep your eyes open and stay away from every animal and bug you see."_

_In the mortal world. _

Grant looked beside him to the girl, a smile laced his lips edged with confusion.

"What's 'Jurassic Park'?" She shook her head and mumbled a 'never mind'.

The four walked down a small man made trail, Cammie was next to Grant, while the two boys were in the back. Their feet shuffled dead leaves and broken twigs while they walked up a steep hill.

"Unless you're a six year old kid, then this island is not comely known. Humans, well, they like life based purely on reality. They stay clear from anything that may over power them, so it makes sense on why they would never bother to try and find us." Grant explained.

"What do you mean 'humans'? Were all humans." Cammie was confused and still continuing to reject the events of last night.

Grant stopped to look at her.

"Once we get to the castle and get you a settled in, _I_," He made a look at Zach and Dillon, "will explain everything to you."

XXX

It took another hour before the four made it to the castle. Cammie was beyond happy. Not only did her feet hurt, but the dead animal was becoming smelly and she was sure the stench was burning off her nose hairs.

Once the castle came into view, Cammie all but fainted.

It was a massive building. Larger than anything Cammie has ever seen. Long stone walls guarded the building with two large golden gates. A wide stone path ran along the ground and under the gates making a curve along the side of the castle ending at another end of the protective wall. A large garden lay in centered in the front. A few trees with benches added to the calming chaos of different plants and flowers. A stone walkway broke off into many different trails leading to the different benches. Bees and other bugs flew from flower to flower reminding Cammie of home for a moment before she remembered that these bugs could most likely kill her in an instant with their stingers.

It looked like there were many buildings that were built over time, picked up, and plopped down here to be connected. One stone building on the left had a chimney with smoke coming out of it. She could smell freshly baked bread and smoked fish mixed with berries. A hallway with windows that were flat on the bottom and came to a curved point at the top connected to another building,. This building, also stone but more detailed and defined, was bigger and had a flag hanging of a pole in the front. The flag was gold with a shield placed in the middle crossed by a black sword.

The next building was the biggest and main one. Large white pillars stood proudly in the front, reminding Cammie of Ancient Greece. Marble lay wide and long as steps up to large wooden doors. The marble stone had lines and curves all through it, a bright gold color that the sun, which was higher in the sky, reflected off of making Cammie shield her eyes. Windows were shaped almost rectangular but at the top, they were rounded instead of flat. They were placed all over in an organized fashion, the ones closest to the top, were slightly smaller making Cammie believe the ones toward the middle and bottom floor were rooms for the royal family.

At the top of the building, the bright blue sky reflected off of the white roof giving it a very slight blue tint. Random peaks had a gold ball on them with a flag identical to he one on the smaller building.

"Wow." Was all she could say.

"I'd rather live somewhere where it's not all fancy. Like the woods, or the mountains. Oh wait! I do." Dillon grumbled. He hated anything that had to do with royalty and properness, besides a certain blonde of course.

"Stuff it Dillon." Cammie barked. "This is an amazing pice of work. Better than any Greek or Roman ruins I've seen!"

"It is rather magnificent." Zach said. Cammie almost smiled at him. _Almost_.

"Just wait until you see the entrance inside. It's always been my favorite part of the castle." Grant said taking the handle of the door on the right, and revealing what was inside.

Cammie gaped.

The floors were also marble, only, more shinier and smooth from less exposure of acid rain. She could easily see her reflection in it, sadly noticing she looked like Billy Marten from her freshman year when he was going though the I-only-need-to-shower-once-a-week phase.

Smaller white pillars with a golden sparkle to it held up the floors above them. There were two staircases on the center hallway. One to the left, and one to the right, curving in while it went up to make the staircases almost spiral, connecting to a hallway on the first floor. The railings were pure gold, looking like thin waterfall as it starting at the main floor and wet up in a twist.

Paintings scattered the wall. Better than any Picasso or Da Vinci she has ever seen. They were perfectly detailed some of outside gardens and other of a family or individual. They were a burst of color through out the home.

One painting caught Cammie's eye. It was one of a family, most likely the royal family. A beautiful woman with dark brown hair stood dressed in a gold silky dress that flowed out just slightly towards the bottom with her hands on a young boys shoulder. She had a beautiful smile, her eyes wrinkled at the corners and a small dimple laid out on her left cheek. The boy looked exactly like Grant, only younger and slightly chubbier.

A man with bright blue eyes and short blond hair was holding a sleeping girl that looked to be two years old. He had a proud aroma around him, holding the girl slightly tight, his fingers curled in her white dress causing wrinkles in where his hands made indents. His smile was smaller than the woman's but still beautiful. He was looking at the little girl in his arms while the young boy held the girl's hand.

"She's a beautiful little girl." Cammie said truthfully. Cammie knew this girl was grown up if Grant was so young in the picture. She only wished she could be that beautiful.

This girl, however, also seemed quite familiar. Like the random child her mind had flashed to twice now. The giggling girl with chubby legs and thin hair.

"Yes, she is." All three boys said at the same time. Grant glared at Zach and Dillon and the two younger boys shot daggers at each other.

"Prince Grant!" A women yelled in horror. Cammie heard the click of her shoes echoing through the hallway, and turning around to see who was scolding the prince. A small maid took short but fast steps towards Grant, a stern look on her face. She seemed to be in her late thirties. Her skin was almost a ghostly white with red hair and blue eyes. For what ever reason, this maid was mad.

Grant's eyes widened for a moment becoming teasing. His mouth turned into a grin as he bowed.

"Ah, hello Mildred. What brings you here?" He asked.

"Don't you 'Mildred' me, Mister. That animal is not allowed in here. You are dripping blood all over the place!" She scolded as she pointed to the large wolf lazily hanging off his shoulder and then to the blood trail that lead to the door. She gave no attention to the three teens standing beside her. "Outside and to the cooking house this instant!" Grant rolled his eyes and sighed a little too dramatically.

"What ever you say." Grant winked at Cammie before leaving.

Mildred shook her head, watching the Prince as he walked away. "I swear that boy is gonna get my boot in his butt one of these days." She mumbled. The small women looked to the three teenagers. Her tiny hands clapped together and she smiled.

"Zach, Dillon! What brings you here? And who is this lovely-" She stopped and stared at Cammie. Her blue eyes were wide and her small foot took a step closer to Cammie. "By all the stars in the heavens. You must be-"

"Ready to get settled in." Zach butted in. He laughed nervously. "Dillon, why don't you keep Miss Mildred company while I take Cammie to her room."

Not wasting any time, Zach pulled Cammie up one of the stair cases and down a hallway to the right.

"Slow down Zach!" Cammie yelled. He ignored her and took quicker steps. Not running, but not walking either.

"I'm assuming you're going to meet the King and probably soon as he must meet all guests of this castle." He opened a door painted red with thin strands of yellow mixed in it and a carved design of a plant on it. "Stay in your pajamas, I'm sure they won't mind." Zach hesitated at the door way, looking at Cammie who looked tired and confused, before leaning down and kissing her softly on the cheek, close to the corner of her mouth. His lips lingered for only a second before he pulled away and walked out the door, closing it softly behind him.

Cammie sat on the large bed looking around the room. It was just like the rest of the castle. Marble floors, a few paintings of nature, and a wooden dresser along with a small desk and a few books. Cammie's head hit the pillow and she was out within seconds.

XXX

"I sent you to keep her away from this place!" King Morgan boomed. Zach flinched at the intensity of his voice.

"Sir, I tried. The Circle was coming at us with full force. We were ambushed, Your Highness! I know they weren't going to take her at that moment, but I needed to keep her safe. And it's not like _I_ brought her here! That stupid Lewis kid did!"

"You will not speak to me in such a tone, Zachary." The kings voice was quiet yet held authority and force.

"Yes, Your Highness." He mumbled. "I have something else to tell you Sir." Zach paused making sure he was allowed to go on. The King nodded. "Joshua Abrams. He- he was with them." The room became still. The kings eyes glared with fire and Grant sat straighter, now taking interest in the conversation. "He has an interest in Cammie. I think, if anyone, he will try to take her on his own. I saw him yesterday. He was looking for us. I don't know why he would join them, but he did."

"I'm going to get Cameron." Grant growled wanting to leave the conversation. He got up from his chair and walked towards the door. "Father, could you, maybe not tell Cameron everything? I'm sure she is still in shock and I would like to tell her slowly." the King nodded.

"I'll allow it. Now go. I would like to see my daughter before I part." Grant left, leaving Zach and the king alone.

"This discussion is on hold. We will deal with this later." Zach nodded.

"Yes Sir."

XXX

The sound of a door softly opening and closing caused Cammie's sleep to be interrupted. She stirred as she woke, opening her still sleepy to be met with a pair of blue orbs and a familiar face.

"The King would like to see you." Grant said. He was out of his hunting clothes and now wore a white silk top that had gold buttons running down the front along with red pants with a gold seam.

"Um, should I change?" Cammie gestured to her pink fuzzy pajamas. Grant chuckled and held out his hand.

"I think you're fine."

The two walked down to the throne room in a comfortable scilence. Grant's arms tingled, wanting to wrap them selves around his sisters small body. He wanted to cry, tell her he loved her and missed her, but he knew it was not the time for such emotion.

After a while, Cammie would ask questions about various paintings, who made the castle and the history of the kingdom. Grant would answer, glad to be able to talk to his sister again.

The two walked up to a tall thin door. Grant grabbed the handle to open it but Cammie stopped him.

"What if I do something wrong? Why does he even want to see me? I shouldn't even be a guest here." she rambled on with her questions, stalling for time.

"You will be fine Cam. I promise." With that, he opened the door and they walked in.

The king was even more handsome in person. Cammie stared at him, not knowing if she should bow or not.

Giving no time for her to come up with a choice, the King stood from his throne and walked to her, his eyes were bright and full of joy as he looked at the girl standing before him. For some reason, she wanted to hug him. She felt this small pinch of longing in her heart though she didn't know why.

_Longing. Why? Why so much?_ She thought.

"Cameron, I have been told you were brought here from the mortal world by Dillon Lewis." Cammie nodded.

"Well, we were being chased, and, I-I mean, I guess I shouldn't have walked in the woods alone, but I wanted to see something. Some people were throwing knives at us. I mean, he was just trying to save me." She stuttered. The King smiled.

"It's okay, Sweetie. You aren't in trouble. I Just wanted to see you before I left on some business."

"It was nice to meet you Sir." Cammie let out a quiet breath, happy His Highness didn't rip her head off for entering his land.

"You don't need to speak to me so formally Cameron. Call me Mathew. I'm practically family towards you." Giving her no time to reply, the King pulled her into a tight hug, not letting go until he heard Grant speak.

"Okay." Grant rushed in. "Let's go Cammie. I want to show you around." she waved goodbye to the king, allowing Grant to pull her out of the thorn room.

"How long are you planning on me staying here?" Cammie asked. Her heart stopped and her eyes became wide. "My mom's going to kill me." Grant flinched when she mentioned her mother. He picked up speed, dragging Cammie down different hallways while she kept talking. "And I was suppose to help Liz with something after homecoming. I need to attend my friend's boyfriend's funereal. They're probably worried sick. I need to go home. I don't want to be here, where ever here is. You are all nice and everything, but I just want I go home."

Grant listened the whole time, not interrupting once. He knew she needed to get it out.

"Are you done?" He asked as they stood in of an old looking door. "Because if you are, I have a few things to say for myself." Cammie nodded. "Good. Let's take a walk."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Even though a lot of you have already read this, do you mind giving me a review or PM on how you're liking this so far? If you have read this before I took all seven chapters down to re-construct them, are the edits good? Is there anything I should change? Your words are honestly super encouraging and motivating. I just love reading what you have to say about my stories. You're all so kind and sweet! **

**If there happen to be grammar, spelling and typo mistakes in here please tell me! **

**I was so tempted to but "a strange abundance of fifty different shades of gold..." In the first sentence, ... but I didn't because I don't agree with the fifty shades of grey movie... plus it was a horrible sentence any way so... **

**Don't you just love *...*ing things? I do... because I'm strange... and not the good kind... *smiles evilly...***

**Anyway, how are you all liking it so far? I'll have to update tomorrow because I am tired as crap! **

**Dillon or Zach? **

**What do you think should happen in future chapter? (If you understand what's going on so far. This I all probably confusing... Sorry) **

_are there any mythical creatures you want tied into this story? _


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